Venom
by RainDragon28
Summary: Hiccup won't give up attacking the Hunters and Flyers, and every time he and the Riders strike, neither side claims more. Krogan is getting sick of these games and wants to wipe them out once and for all. Viggo is dragged along by his business partner and must take drastic measures regarding more than just his personal matters.
1. Chapter 1

''Retreat, Dragon Riders!'' commanded Hiccup, a hand cupping his mouth as he fled from the flying arrows and boulders from the heavy-armed ships below his dragon's wings.

Astrid and Stormfly looked up at him in surprise but did not hesitate to join their leader as he reached for safety high up the sky, where Singetails couldn't reach. Neither Snotlout nor the twins argued either and avoided more weaponry aimed at them while Fishlegs sighed in relief and patted his Gronckle's cheek gently.

They regrouped in only a few seconds and flew away to Dragon's Edge to rest after yet another defeat.

Far in the distance on the island the Dragon Riders were fleeing, dark brown eyes fixed the group in the pale dawn sky. The man growled to himself and turned his back on them. Krogan pulled out his unique ax and studied its surface, wishing he could somehow transform it into a wand and make those Dragon Riders disappear once and for all. While his mind raced with all sorts of ways to destroy them, Viggo approached the tall man with his arms reached to his back.

''Viggo,'' greeted Krogan as he noticed the Dragon Hunter chief from his weapon of choice. He followed the civilized man up the weak hill giving a view of the ocean reflecting the sun rising, flickers dancing on its wavy surface.

''Krogan,'' Viggo returned the salute, never turning around to address the Flyer. He watched as the Riders flew away, their silhouettes soon only dots against the colorful background. Then his eyes trailed down to his sunken shipyard along with fallen soldiers resting on the beach. Singetails screamed above their heads as they passed by, flown by Flyers. The dragons had been wounded, but neither chief could come to care if a dragon was in pain or not. Viggo rose his eyes on the horizon suddenly, breathing heavily as if disappointed instead of defeated. ''It would appear Hiccup and his friends got bored again.''

''These attacks are becoming bad for the operation, Viggo.'' snarled Krogan, narrowing his eyes on the Hunter. Viggo rolled his eyes to himself and turned around to walk the other way, Krogan following his every move with his ax held tightly in one hand.

''As usual, Krogan, you're blinded by details,'' commented Viggo, waving the back of his hand at him. ''Hiccup Haddock will not give up trying. He's made a promise, but so did we.''

''What are you saying?'' asked Krogan, straightening up and cocking an eyebrow curiously.

''Let the boy keep on trying,'' advised Viggo, pulling out a piece of Maces and Talons from his back. He held it up to observe but Krogan's only reaction was a growl of disgust. But Viggo carried on anyway despite the tall man's lack of interest for this wise game. ''Someday he'll be tired of trying catching up to us. He'll fall in behind so bad, he won't be able to pick himself up.''

When Viggo put away his game piece, Krogan rolled his eyes in annoyance. ''Hiccup needs to be eliminated, Viggo.'' declared Krogan with much authority. ''Soon.''

''Everything in its own time, Krogan.'' sighed Viggo, rubbing his nose bridge. It was like trying to explain to a child that no meant no.

''Well, time is of the essence for us, my friend,'' said Krogan, turning his head to look at wounded men walking to the healer's place. Krogan twisted back around when no reply came from the Hunter and found Viggo staring at the ground, deep in thoughts. When Viggo raised his eyes back up to the Flyer, Krogan looked at him expectantly, angling his head with narrowed eyes. ''What is it? Any ideas?''

Viggo paused and locked his eyes with Krogan and replied a firm 'no'. Krogan smirked and studied the man smugly. Waving his ax, Krogan started circling the Hunter, knowing the man did have a said idea. ''Common, Viggo.'' sang Krogan while Viggo's gaze avoided his. ''Tell me what you have in mind.''

Viggo's eyes snapped from the ground to Krogan's. "I don't take orders from _anyone."_ reminded Viggo, tightening his fists while holding his ground.

''Oh, but you do now,'' said Krogan before striking Viggo's middle with the dull end of his ax's butt. Viggo crashed on the dusty ground, a weak cloud rising around him.

Picking himself up almost immediately, Viggo caught his breath fast and looked up at the man towering up above him. ''How _dare_ you?'' he snarled, reaching for his sword at his back.

''There's no need for this to go further.'' soothed Krogan, putting away his own weapon as well. Viggo hesitated a moment and finally let the metal slide back into its sheath with a sharp sound of metal brushing metal. The Hunter straightened up again, keeping a considerable distance with the Flyer. Krogan smiled at him and took one step closer. ''Just tell me, and we can get this over with.''

Viggo inhaled and sighed, wondering if this was such a good idea. Advising a partner on battle strategies was something. But advising how to _kill_ the opponent with every detail included was something else. Not to mention Hiccup was his only challenging adversary, so much that he doesn't want to kill him just yet. But he went with it anyway.

''What you can do, is capture a hatchling Slitherwing dragon.'' began Viggo, but the look on Krogan's face suggested he should explain even more. ''These dragons' scales are poisonous. One touch and you're dead by the next moon—"

''This is all very interesting.'' interrupted Krogan, waving a hand at the Hunter's face. ''But how is it going to help?''

''If you would just let me finish?'' snapped Viggo, giving Krogan a deadly glare. When the Flyer crossed his arms, he continued. ''Hatchling don't have that ability yet. But their bite is as deadly. Send Hiccup a Terror Mail to meet. I take it you have a minimum of brains to figure out the rest.''

Krogan searched his feet, his mind running wild with all sorts of scenarios. ''This… this is wonderful,'' he whispered, a smile printing on his face. ''Simply brilliant! So why didn't you ever use it before?''

''Hiccup and I have history, Krogan. He knows my strategies and would be wise enough not to show up after what he's seen me capable of doing.'' cleared Viggo, reaching his hands to his back once again. ''Besides, there's no honor in such a dirty trick.''

''I don't care,'' growled Krogan. He just couldn't come to care less of _honor._ In Krogan's world, there was only blood and war.

Viggo reached out a hand to him as he turned his back on him. ''Krogan—'' he warned but was cut off immediately.

''I want you to find that hatchling.'' said the Flyer, twisting around suddenly and pointing at the Hunter commandingly. ''I don't care how many sacrifices it'll require. Just bring me one.''

Viggo stood his ground and lifted his chin high. ''No.''

Krogan paused, narrowing his eyes. ''What did you say?'' he demanded, and even if his tone didn't sound intimidating, it had hearts skipping beats.

''I will not send good soldiers to a meaningless death because of _your_ wrath for Hiccup Haddock.'' declared Viggo, locking eyes with Krogan challengingly.

Krogan held his glare. ''I think you're forgetting who's operation this is, Grimborn,'' growled Krogan, approaching Viggo until their faces were only inches apart. ''Do as I tell you or you got another thing coming.''

But before Viggo could say something about this threat, Krogan was already walking away, getting this plan – his simple _idea_ \- moving. And there was nothing Viggo could do about it.

* * *

 **Oh my, more Hiccup!whump on the way. Who doesn't just _love_ that? Ok, just warning you all ahead, updates might be slow. Reason: I pretty much spend all of my summertime in a camper and I'm barely home to write on my computer. So, every time I can publish I will, but don't count on it to be too quick. **

**One other thing, did any of you watch Hotel Transylvania 3? God, it was so good! You know what my favorite part was? When Drac wailed in agony. I love watching characters in pain.**

 **...**

 **Anyways!**

 **Till next update,**

 **Rain**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shout-outs to...**

 **ThePhoenixGhirl: Why, thanks! I really appreciate that. Nice to know I still got it!**

 **NightBlue: Eagle Eye, I take it the ending wasn't clear. It's complete. Yes, it might seem very rushed, but it is what it is. Thanks for the review and Hotel Transylvania is definitely a worth-watching.**

 **httydfangirl123: Thanks so much! I gotta say, reading your fanfics and reading your shout-outs to me got me back in the swing of writing and I thank you for that :) Hope you're enjoying England!**

 **ElenaTheHyperactiveFangirl14: Get ready for more!**

 **Here we go!**

* * *

The Dragon Riders aimed for the landing platform in front of the stables, their dragons going at a speed that was quite dangerous for a landing.

''Hold on, Toothless!'' shouted Hiccup over the whistling wind as he tightened his grip on his handles and watched wide-eyed as land grew closer. The Night Fury whined sharply as his front paws met the wood and his green gaze turned from confident to panicked when he tripped over himself and sent them both dragon and rider a couple meters away from their aim. Hiccup grunted and scratched his forehead painfully; looking up as the other Riders came in too fast to land properly.

''Whoa, Stormfly!'' said Astrid to her dragon, jumping down the Nadder's back clumsily to sooth the shaken animal. ''It's okay, girl. Just relax.''

Hookfang collapsed heavily, dragging his rider with him. Snotlout yelped and met the ground with a loud thud and groaned crossly. He replaced his helmet while glaring at his dragon and then to his leader.

''I'm so mad right now!'' he declared loudly, nearly shouting while silence hanged over everybody's head. There wasn't much to say, really. They'd lost another battle against the Hunters and Flyers and not everyone was great about that. Snotlout paced towards Hiccup furiously, jabbing a finger under the Rider's chin. ''And you know what I like about being mad? Blaming! And right now I blame _you_ for getting us all almost killed for the thousandth time! This is the third time this week! How's that even _possible?''_ His blabber left him breathless and Snotlout had to inhale sharply, hands resting on his knees in front of Hiccup who only rolled his eyes.

''Snotlout, would you relax?'' said Hiccup, placing a hand upon his fellow teammate's shoulder. But Snotlout only glared at it and proceeded to challenge his leader by locking eyes with him. ''Krogan and Viggo may have won this battle yet again, but they won't win this war.''

''Oh, speech of a hero…'' said Snotlout, exaggerating with the tone he used as he pulled away. ''You know, I almost hope you get knocked up and knocked down big time for you to realize that we're falling behind Viggo' in this game for two.''

''And you think I don't know that?'' said Hiccup, letting his shoulders drop in annoyance, aware of the other Riders' eyes focused on the scene.

Astrid walked over to them, resting a hand on her betrothed's shoulder pad. ''Hiccup, the Dragon Hunters clearly aren't backing down even after everything we've tried,'' she informed, her serious eyes meeting his. ''How long do you plan going on like this?''

Hiccup turned, starting for the Clubhouse with the others following. ''For as long as it takes,'' he replied dryly, focusing ahead.

''What does that mean?'' demanded Heather, walking next to Astrid to join in the discussion. Her toxic green eyes revealed her concern for the next decision to be taken. Hiccup angled his head to face her and dug into her eyes with his own, furrowing his eyebrows.

''As long as we can fight, we'll face those Hunters and Flyers,'' stated Hiccup, pointing to the ground with strong authority, making both Heather and Astrid flinch. They exchanged a look and returned to their leader.

A laughter of clear mock exploded behind them and the two Riders and Berserker twisted around to face Snotlout catching up to them. They entered the Clubhouse and took seats to rest their exhausted bodies while Snotlout asked, ''And how's that supposed to weaken them?''

Hiccup sighed and looked up at the beefy Viking. ''Well, Snotlout, I'm glad you asked,'' said Hiccup, groaning when he straightened his sore back. ''Simple, really. By annoying them.''

''Not to interrupt,'' spoke up Tuffnut, shyly toying with his hands for doubting of his leader's decision. ''But isn't annoying people making them even angrier?''

''You figured that out, huh?'' commented Astrid flatly, her hands up to her hips.

''That I do, M'lady,'' said Tuffnut, winking at the shieldmaiden who only blinked awkwardly.

''We just can't back down now,'' stated Hiccup, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked at everyone in the room dead in the eye.

A screech from outside suddenly brought everyone's attention on a Terrible Terror coming in hot into the building. Fishlegs' eyes widened and a yelped escaped his mouth right before the little dragon slammed against his face. Even though the little beast possessed little strength, Fishlegs still found himself misbalanced and crashed backward with a heavy thud. He groaned and picked himself up. ''Why the face?'' he asked to no one in particular and untied the little paper wrapped around the Terrible Terror's hind leg. His eyes scrolled from left to right, curiosity lighting his expression. ''Uhh… It's for you.'' Everyone followed Fishlegs' gaze and stared at Hiccup who only looked as clueless.

''What does it say?'' asked Hiccup and his friend unrolled the paper.

But Fishlegs never read it. He handed it to his leader who grabbed it slowly. ''Maybe you should read it yourself…''

Hiccup felt a shiver run down his spine at the uneasiness that settled in the room but read the note anyway. His eyes widened in surprise but never left the letter. ''It's from Krogan… he…'' A shocked expression slammed against Hiccup's face and he looked up to the Riders. ''He wants to meet.''

''Mmh.'' thought Ruffnut aloud, a fist up to her chin. ''A dangerous psychopath invites you to dinner. What would you do?'' She turned to her twin brother who wore a mile-wide smile.

''I'd go, obviously!'' he exclaimed, punching his fists to the air. ''It's free food!''

Astrid rolled her eyes and sighed at the twins' nonsense and addressed her leader. ''Hiccup, this could be a trap. Remember Viggo?''

''Yes, but this is Krogan we're talking about,'' said Hiccup, widening his arms. ''We all know he's kill first, ask questions later.''

''Aaaaand how's _that_ supposed to be a good thing?'' asked Fishlegs with a squeaky voice, making his fingertips collide.

''If he's asking to meet up, I'm going.'' declared Hiccup as if he'd never heard Fishlegs. ''This could be our only chance at defeating them. Once and for all.''

Fishlegs read the letter over and over again, pacing from one side of the Clubhouse to the other as if he might find a clear warning saying 'hey, don't go, that guy just wants to kill you' kind of note. ''I don't know, Hiccup,'' he said, biting off his fingernails. ''The Marketplace is a pretty dangerous place.''

Hiccup turned to his friends, a slight smile printed on his lips. ''Where's not?'' he asked. But the twins were already answering.

''Berk?'' came Tuffnut's answer.

''Here?'' added Ruffnut.

''Or really, any other island that's not crawling with ambush predators who can blend in perfectly within their environment or wear a coat of poisonous scales that can kill you within the next moon from a single touch? I can go on, you know? Remember that time with the Whispering Deaths? Oh no, wait, _that_ was on Berk—''

''Enough!'' shouted Astrid, coming in front of the twins with balled fists and then twirled around to face Hiccup and Fishlegs with Heather in the background and Snotlout. ''Hiccup, please reconsider this.''

''I'm going, Astrid,'' said Hiccup, walking up closer to his beloved. Toothless waited outside the Clubhouse, having overheard the Riders' discussion including Krogan's message. Hiccup approached his Night Fury and mounted up, looking down at Astrid who's trailed behind him. ''I'll be careful.''

''You say that every time,'' she said softly, a weak smile showing despite her worry. Krogan was bloodthirsty. She wouldn't trust him to even love someone.

Hiccup stared down into her deep sky-blue eyes, scared to get lost in them. ''And I mean it every time,'' he replied. He was preparing to take off when a hand grabbed him tunic's collar and pulled him down back to Astrid. His lips met hers and he savored this sweet moment of pure tenderness before taking off to face danger once again. They finally broke apart and Hiccup exhaled quietly as Astrid backed away, leaving enough space for Toothless to spread his wings.

There were no more words needed to be spoken and Hiccup angled his body to face the horizon and with one wingbeat, they were up in the indigo blue night sky on their way to face the enemy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the wait, but I told you so. Had a competition this weekend and I couldn't go back home to update. I'm doing this from my phone, so bear with the littles mistakes I can only see on my computer. Enjoy anyway!**

* * *

The Marketplace finally came in sight through the dense forest of pines surrounding the clearing. This was no place for people friends to dragons. The place was crowded, even at night, with blacksmiths to make weapons, Dragon Hunters to buy them and trappers to sell the skin of their catch. Just thinking about it had Hiccup grimace in disgust. The tents were lit up with torches and lanterns, making it appear like lots of little fires underneath his dragon's wings.

Hiccup patted Toothless' chin and directed him lower to the ground, right behind the bar. Stealth was necessary for matter of life or death. He hopped off the Night Fury's back, his prosthetic clicking as it met the forest floor. Voices echoed in the distance and the young Dragon Rider scanned his surroundings while staying frozen in place. When nothing happened, he gestured to his dragon to stay hidden, but the Night Fury growled low and bumped his head into his rider's back.

''No, Toothless.'' he whispered, turning around sharply to face him. He held his large face between his hands, scratching his scaly forehead lovingly. ''I need you to stay here. A Night Fury in a hostile public place might not be as stealthy as you believe.'' Toothless growled back at him in annoyance and retreated behind the cover of bushes, awaiting his best friend's return.

Hiccup approached the building gingerly, leaving the safety of the edge of the forest. A pole with several hooks rested on the side of the backdoor with some leather capes hanging from them like fish and Hiccup smiled to himself. He snatched one off and wrapped his frail form with it and pulled the hood over his auburn hair. Only his emerald green eyes and his hair dangling over his eyebrows shone from the shadow he'd made of himself.

''Alright,'' he said to himself, exhaling his fright of the near future. ''Game on.''

Hiccup stepped up the stairs and cracked the thick door open, revealing the raging inside of drunk men and fist fighting. But Hiccup stepped inside anyway, closing the door delicately behind him and started through the crowd of Dragon Hunters and other unfriendly Vikings. There was no way he'd manage to keep low acting this sensitive. He needed a character.

A Hunter suddenly slammed to his side and Hiccup crashed against a nearby table, knocking over empty glasses off spoken table. The air was knocked out of him and the moment of pain awoke anger that had him twist around and slam his narrow fist against the large man's face. That sent him to the ground and the rest of the bar cheered loudly. Of course, none of them would question who he was. They were all too drunk to even think clearly. Breathing heavily, Hiccup approached the counter and took a seat. He brought his hands forward and studied his bruised knuckles.

 _I can't believe I just did that…_ he thought, his eyes staring into empty.

''Can I get you anything?'' demanded the bartender on the other side of the counter and Hiccup looked up in surprise, his heart speed quickening once again. He lowered his gaze almost right away, avoiding anybody to recognize him.

''Oh, uh, no thanks, I'm good.'' he stammered, bringing a hand up to his temple, avoiding the man's gaze of confusion. To clarify his presents here, he added, ''I'm waiting for someone.'' With a nod of understanding, the bartender left him to his own and Hiccup released a sigh he didn't know he'd been holding.

It seemed like this place was made to freak him out because right as he calmed down, a hand squeezed his shoulder almost painfully and Hiccup dared cast a look at the person to find a tall man in a cape similar to his. Gesturing with a move of his head, Krogan led him to a more private table in the corner of the bar.

Krogan sat down on one side of the square table grazing the wall and Hiccup hesitated to take seat on the opposite side of the man.

The Flyer looked up at the Rider, smiling wickedly. ''Please, have a seat, my boy.'' he said with such a deep and threatening voice it had Hiccup shivering. This wasn't like in the air on the back of dragons. He felt extremely vulnerable out here on his own, standing in front of this very person.

But after a moment of hesitation, Hiccup summoned all of his courage and forced himself to sit down, uncovering his head just like Krogan had. The place was mostly shadowed, keeping away from the eyes of everyone else.

''You are much braver than I thought you were.'' commented Krogan, joining his hands before him. ''Tell me, are you afraid?"

Hiccup dug his clear eyes into his dark ones, glaring at the man without a single comeback. Krogan only chuckled, leaning back against the chair. ''I knew it.'' he rasped, looking very pleased with himself.

''What's your point, Krogan?'' asked Hiccup, jumping right to the point. ''Why are we here?''

''Oh, so many questions.'' whispered Krogan, smiling to himself. ''Unfortunately for you, I'm not like your friend Viggo. I don't toy around with my enemies.'' The last sentence was spoken with such hatred, it had Hiccup flinch.

There was a long pause until Hiccup spoke up. ''What do you want, Krogan?'' he asked firmly, feeling his body heating up. His chest felt on fire despite the cold night and the shivers traveling his form every now and then.

''Oh, that famous question.'' chuckled Krogan, looking up to the ceiling for a moment. He then returned her gaze on Hiccup and snapped, ''I want you gone.''

Hiccup's hand immediately reached for his hunting knife to his belt and Krogan's brown eyes landed on the little weapon ready to be grabbed and pulled out. The Flyer chuckled at the boy, almost pitying him. ''That won't save you from what's coming up for you.''

Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and heard a hiss from beneath the table. The two locked eyes and Hiccup quickly glanced underneath to find a snake's head angled towards him, its narrow eyes focused on him dangerously. But that wasn't a snake at all. It was a dragon. It was a…

''A Slitherwing dragon.'' gasped Hiccup quietly straightening his back but keeping his eyes locked with the dragon. ''How did you—''

''A hatchling Slitherwing's ability to poisonous skin won't develop until it is fully grown.'' informed Krogan and Hiccup noticed the man's legs had been covered with iron. ''But its bite… Oh, well. Let's just say it's as lethal as an adult's.''

''You dirty—'' cursed Hiccup, but before he could finish, he pulled out his knife from his belt and threw himself at Krogan who could only respond by avoiding the blow of the blade against his face. Blinded by his anger towards the Flyer, Hiccup forgot about the baby dragon resting in a basket right at his feet and felt the fangs of the snake-like little beast pierce through his skin right underneath his bad leg's knee. Hiccup wailed in agony, dropping his weapon onto the ground as he clutched to his bleeding new wound that announced much greater pain in the very near future.

By now, the whole bar had its attention drawn towards them, but neither Rider nor Flyer could care. Through watering eyes, Hiccup saw Krogan coming at him, but Hiccup was quick enough to twist around and slam his fist against his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Krogan groaned in pain and reopened his eyes to see the Dragon Rider fleeing through the crowd that let him go through, the cape he'd borrowed falling behind. His identity revealed, people gasped in shock and grabbed their weapons, ready to go after the boy.

Krogan gritted his teeth as he watched the boy cross the door limping and disappear into the darkness of the night world. As much as he was pissed off the boy had punched him, he was relatively satisfied of his work. He straightened his back and puffed out his chest, grinning with his eyes taking an even darker shade.

''The end is near.'' he whispered, loud enough for only him to hear.


	4. Chapter 4

Hiccup stumbled down the stairs leading to the ground and fell on the forest floor with a heavy thud. Gasping for breath, he pulled himself to his feet on the spot, afraid that Krogan might be hot on his heels.

Toothless jumped out of the bushes and whined in concern at his rider considering his state. Hiccup wasn't alright, and he wasn't about to lie he was. He mounted up his dragon with difficulty and clicked his metal leg into place right in time as Hunters poured out of the back entrance, weapons raised. The duo took to the sky on the spot, leaving behind them a weak cloud of dust that had the men blindly coughing.

''Good job, bud.'' congratulated Hiccup, resting an incredibly tired hand upon his dragon's head. Toothless growled low, angling his head to have a good look at his rider. His voice had betrayed his sudden exhaustion and his futures revealed sickness.

Hurrying to save his rider, Toothless doubled the speed, hoping to make it back to Dragon's Edge in time.

…

Astrid paced outside the Clubhouse, a fist up to her mouth as she imagined every possible scenario that might've happened to Hiccup out there. She'd barely slept at all that night and should be exhausted, but anxiety made her feel like she could go on forever. She suddenly stumped her foot and turned to the others in the Clubhouse, the rising sun bright behind her.

''Urgh, what if this was all just a set up and he was captured?'' wondered Astrid, widening her arms for opinions.

''Uh, it's a meetup?'' said Tuffnut, raising an eyebrow. ''These things _are_ setups?'' But Tuffnut only received a glare, understanding he wasn't at all helping her freak-out session. ''Alright, alright. Jeez, Louis.''

''Hey!'' shouted Snotlout across the room, lifting his gaze from his empty plate. ''That's my catchphrase!''

''Oh, really?'' joined in Ruffnut, defending her brother. '''Cause I don't see your name written all over it!''

''That's because you can't write on noise, Ruffnut!'' snapped Snotlout.

''Or _can_ you?'' challenged Ruffnut, eyeing Snotlout strangely. Snotlout shook himself, trying to get rid of the unpleasant sensation and abandoned this useless debate.

''Hey, I see him!'' shouted Astrid from outside, a hand lifted over her eyes as a Night Fury figure approached the island. God, she was glad he was back. Reason one: because he was safe. And reason two: because she didn't know how long she could've gone on handling this pointless bickering from Snotlout and the twins.

Toothless landed softly, careful not to stir his sleeping rider. Or at least, he thought he was asleep. Astrid approached and placed a hand on her beloved's shoulder and shook him slightly, trying to have him wake up.

''Hey, Hiccup,'' she said softly, but he didn't stir. Her face took a shade of worry and she shook him again a little. Again, there was no reply. ''Fishlegs!''

Fishlegs was by her side by the second. ''What's wrong?'' he asked.

''H-he won't budge.'' she stammered, holding her hand close to her racing heart. ''Oh, Hiccup, _please_ wake up.'' But whatever she did, Hiccup didn't give a response.

''Astrid, look!'' called Fishlegs, standing on the other side of the Night Fury who stood still and let them take care of his rider. Astrid raced to his side, attracting the others closer. Right above Hiccup's prosthetic; two holes appeared in the leather, dried blood surrounding them. ''Looks like he's been bitten by something…''

Astrid lifted her gaze from the wound to Hiccup's face resting on Toothless' head. Fearing the worst, she pushed aside his bangs, revealing the dark circles under his shut eyes. She gasped sharply, her heart nearly skipping a beat. ''Fishlegs, Hiccup's been bitten by a Slitherwing.'' she declared, fright gripping at her like she was the next meal between the claws of a vicious beast.

''B-but that's impossible!'' tried Fishlegs, running inside for his booklet. ''There aren't any Slitherwings at the Marketplace! Not that far North!''

''Well, what are the symptoms?'' asked Astrid, resting her hands against Hiccup's unconscious form.

Fishlegs held his booklet with one hand and counted them on his fingers with the other. ''Pale discoloration, dark circles under the eyes, extreme fatigue, pain and possibly more unknown effects…'' he noted, and Astrid sighed.

''Check them all,'' she said, staring at her boyfriend's pale face.

''Astrid, I…'' started Fishlegs, reaching a hand to her. But Astrid pushed him away.

''It's okay, don't sympathize,'' said Astrid, fighting the tears. There was still hope. She wouldn't give up on him without having something to say about it. ''The cure?''

''I know where to find the ingredients,'' replied Fishlegs, waving the little paper. ''And if everything goes right, we should be able to save him before it's too late.''

''Enough said.'' nearly interrupted Astrid, turning to face everyone who'd been assisting the scene, excepting to grieve for their fallen leader. But Astrid wouldn't let that happen. No one would be grieving today, or tomorrow. ''Gather what you need, we leave right away. Heather,''

Heather stepped up, awaiting her order.

''Can you stay here and take care of Hiccup for me?'' she said, coming out more as a favor asked than a direct command.

''You can count on me, Astrid,'' replied Heather, placing a fist over her heart with a smile. ''I'll send a Terror Mail to Dagur to come over. I could use the help if anything happens.''

Astrid nodded and turned to her team. ''The rest of you, saddle up. We're leaving at once,'' she said, coming out with way more authority this time. ''We have a life to save.''

She looked at Toothless, aware the powerful Night Fury was counting on her to save his best friend's life. His green eyes spoke a thousand words, and she just knew she couldn't mess this up. Heather gestured to Toothless to follow her to get their leader to his hut. Hiccup remained as unconscious as ever, his arms dangling each side of the dragon like deadweight. Forcing a knot back down her throat as she watched them go, Astrid turned her back on the heartbreaking sight and called for her own dragon.

Stormfly squawked at her riders, leaning down for her to mount up. She patted her side and gripped to the handles and took off, the Dragon Riders right on her trail.

* * *

 **Okay! I'm leaving once again, be back next week! If everything goes as planned, I'll post next Tuesday or Wednesday. Time for my vacay!**

 **Till we meet again!**


	5. Chapter 5

Hiccup blinked his eyes open. He gasped sharply and lifted himself off the dusty ground; his wild terrified eyes scanned his surroundings. Everything was dark. It was like some dark forest. Particles floated in the air. Hiccup shook his head and lifted himself off the forest floor, but every single noise echoed around. He felt like he was underwater, but he could breathe. Nothing made sense. This must be a dream. A dream where he was stuck between life and death...

''Hello?'' he called, awaiting an answer. His ears were attentive for anything, even the slightest crack.

''Hello, Hiccup.'' came a voice Hiccup knew all too well.

''Viggo,'' said Hiccup, not at all as brave as in the real world. He couldn't control his emotions here. His mind wasn't there. Only his instincts could guide him and make him feel what he truly felt.

''I've been excepting you,'' added Viggo's voice for the man was nowhere to be seen. The noise came from all around, no matter how much Hiccup twisted and turned to find its source. Hiccup's breathing quickened and he clutched his head, collapsing on himself as he cried out loud for this to stop.

''Leave me alone!'' he shouted to the empty, his hair dangling before his wild eyes.

''Hiccup!'' came a new voice and Hiccup twisted around in his dream and so did he in the real world.

Heather stood over him, a hand gripping his shoulder. Her eyes were wide as she studied him. Sweat covered his forehead, making his skin sparkly. Breathing heavily, Hiccup let the back of his head hit the pillow and he tried to relax. His eyelids felt indescribably heavy and Hiccup just wanted to slumber back to sleep. He felt stiff and extremely weak. Managing to turn his head towards the raven-haired girl, Hiccup muttered some words too quiet for Heather to hear.

''What's that?'' asked Heather, leaning closer with a cold wet cloth to press against his forehead.

''I…'' he said slowly, every single word a battle. ''I don't feel so good…''

Heather rested a delicate hand on her friend's bare shoulder, given they had to remove armor and tunic because of his strong fever. Fighting back the tears threatening to stream down her face, Heather sniffed and pushed the hair out of Hiccup's face. She couldn't imagine what it'd be like for Astrid to lose Hiccup. She'd be heartbroken if he'd left her, and he was just a friend to her, not a lover. This world couldn't be possible without Hiccup. It just couldn't.

''Don't go just yet, Hiccup.'' said Heather, choking on her words from a knot rising in her throat. ''Astrid will find the cure. She'd never give up on you. Don't give up on her.''

Hiccup swallowed hard and his breathing slowly returned long and shallow. He sounded peaceful, but she knew Slitherwing poison caused massive pain.

''How is he?'' came a voice from the staircase and Heather's sad eyes met her brother's.

''Not as good as I wished he was,'' she replied, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest.

''This is so weird,'' commented Dagur, his grass green eyes never leaving his little brother's frail form lying on the small bed. ''I've been after Hiccup for _so_ long. Watching him fly in the sky, he seemed immortal. But now… seeing him in this state, it's almost like a fairy tale.''

Heather rested her gaze on the young Rider. It was true. This was painful to watch. She sighed heavily and turned her body to face the open door downstairs. Images of the rest of the Dragon Riders played in her mind. ''I just hope the other guys find the cure and fast,'' said Heather, taking a stern look but her voice as heavy as it had ever been.

…

The leaderless Dragon Riders flew across the bright blue sky of the day in V formation, the dragons' wings beating hard to reach their goal. But despite the incredible speed, they weren't flying fast enough for Astrid who was at the lead.

''Common, you guys!'' she shouted, twisting her form to face behind her. ''We don't have much time!''

''We know!'' yelled back Ruffnut, clearly annoyed as she furrowed her brows in frustration. ''You've said it too many times already!''

''God, I wished I'd never said that…'' mumbled Snotlout, his eyes guilty as he scanned the water below.

''What's that?'' wondered Fishlegs who flew behind him, approaching Meatlug closer.

''Wishing Hiccup would get knocked up and knocked down. I never should've,'' said Snotlout and then threw a punch to the Gods above. ''You don't have to listen to everything I say, Thor!''

''Quiet!'' commanded Astrid as she pulled out a map from her satchel and came to a stop, hovering above the clouds. The other Riders joined her and waited for her next order. ''This is it.'' She drew her index on the map she held. ''We're here. Hiccup will actually live!''

''Oh, please do!'' gestured Snotlout to pursue.

''Follow me!'' she called, diving down through the clouds in excitement, Stormfly squawking her happiness. But right as they broke through the fluffy white, their nostrils filled with smoke and Astrid had to cough to clear her throat. Her eyes widened as she stared in shock at the island below swallowed up in fire and black smoke.

''Oh, no…'' sighed Fishlegs, his eyes as wide as Astrid. ''Slitherwing Island… it's… it's…''

''Gone…'' finished Snotlout, breath-taken just as well.

High pitched screeches echoed in the distance and they all landed their eyes on a couple Singetails flying away fast.

''It was the Flyers!'' gasped Astrid, anger in her tone. Her eyes searched before her, her mind storming for explanations until she found one. ''It's Krogan. Krogan did this to Hiccup!''

Everybody shared a look of grief and then turned to Fishlegs who understood the mute question. ''There aren't any other islands that provide these ingredients…'' he explained, looking down at his sheet that had once been Hiccup's only hope. Now there were none. ''I'm sorry.''

The choking dark grey smoke below their wings rose high from the raging flames, screeches of pain from dragons living on that island echoing all around. A couple had managed to escape the horrible claws of death, and some were lost forever.

…

Heather stayed by Hiccup's side all day while Dagur took care to provide for them as well as keeping a look out for unwelcomed guests. A knock at the entrance had Heather get up from Hiccup's desk chair to see Dagur at the door, a sad mask over his face.

''Dagur?'' asked Heather, concerned. ''What's going on?''

''The Riders are back,'' informed Dagur, resting his hands on his little sister's shoulders as if to support himself. Their eyes locked for some time until Heather understood the meaning.

But as the raven-haired girl pushed him aside to go see Astrid to confirm their defeat, the shieldmaiden stormed into the building and rushed upstairs to Hiccup. Astrid collapsed beside her betrothed's bed, breaking down in tears. Her loud sobs made heart breaks because it wasn't everyday Fearless Astrid Hofferson cried. Heather joined her and placed a delicate hand upon her best friend's shoulder for support. She kneeled down next to her while Astrid dug he face in Hiccup limp arm, the smell of death hovering everywhere in this very room.

''I've failed…'' she whispered at last, clutching hard to the covers. ''I'm weak…''

Heather's eyes watered as well and she looked up to Hiccup's dying form, unable to ignore the pain Astrid must be living. Hiccup was her best friend, her beloved and betrothed. She couldn't imagine losing someone that important in her life.

''You're not weak because your heart feels so heavy…'' said Heather, grieving by her side.

Rushed footsteps down the stairs that ran up to them had both Astrid and Heather turn to face Fishlegs who breathed hard, a Terror Mail in hand. More tension rose from the atmosphere as they stared at the boy.

''Astrid,'' gasped Fishlegs, resting a hand on his knee while handing out the paper. ''It's from Viggo.''

* * *

 **Kill him, don't kill him... kill him, don't kill him... Argh! Both so tempting! Should I? Should I not?**

 **I'll leave you to it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hell of a cliffhanger I left you with, huh? Ah, I feel so evil. Well, I'm back after some time away and finally made my decision about Hiccup... You'll have to find out yourselves. See you down there!**

* * *

Astrid held on tight to her saddle despite the shake in her body. Hiccup's life was on the brink and she couldn't help but be scared. A world without Hiccup was… Astrid shook her head, clearing her dark thoughts. She looked behind her to see if Heather was keeping up, but Razorwhip's wings whistling with each beat already confirmed her friend's presence. When Fishlegs had informed them that Viggo was willing to help them save their leader, the girls had almost immediately hopped on their dragons and left without really knowing where to meet the Hunter. Thankfully, Fishlegs had a gift to calm dragons and humans alike and managed to handle them the map keeping the meeting place's location. It was barely an island. Just a rock in the middle of the ocean patched with some green. Barely a word was exchanged during the short journey and Astrid and Heather directed their dragons down where the man waited with a possible solution to their troubles.

Stormfly's massive feet hit the ground with a heavy thud, making dust rise up around her. Windshear landed next to the duo and growled low at the Hunter who stood with his back to them four. Astrid's eyes narrowed dangerously as she grabbed her double-headed battle-ax, ready to do anything to get whatever Viggo was offering.

''I see Hiccup is quite a lady's man, mmh?'' chanted Viggo with his hand brought to his back. He took his time as he turned around to face both warriors, letting the world turn like there was no urgency at all.

''Don't play games with us, Viggo,'' warned Heather, drawing her battle-ax from her back and holding on to it just as tightly as did Astrid.

''Where's the cure?'' demanded Astrid, losing no more time with the question. She needed it. Right now.

''Oh, it's right here,'' replied Viggo, reaching out to his waist and taking hold of a little, spiked bottle. He dangled it in front of them and the Rider and Berserker stared at the object like it was meant to hypnotize them until Viggo put it back to its place and added, ''But there's a condition.''

Heather narrowed her eyes, her knuckles white around her ax's handle. ''And what's that?'' she hissed, making the Hunter smirk.

''I demand a permanent retreat from the Dragon Riders.'' declared Viggo, reaching his arms back behind him and lifting up his chin as he did.

''Absolutely not!'' shouted Astrid, taking a threatening step towards Viggo. Heather grabbed her in time as she rose her fist up and held her weapon down. Viggo smiled and looked sideways, awaiting a different reply to his offer.

''Astrid…'' whispered Heather, placing herself in front of her friend with a hand placed upon her shoulder to show support. ''You gotta think this through.''

''One time offer, ladies! Clock's tickin'" called Viggo, and Heather regained her place next to her best friend. ''And so is Hiccup's from the despair all over you pretty faces.''

''What tells us you wouldn't give us a fake antidote?'' shouted Astrid, her eyes watering against her will. Her voice was shaky but she couldn't give a damn whether Viggo noticed or not.

Viggo's gaze softened as he placed a hand over his heart. ''My dear, I am an honorable man.'' he said, and his eyes shifted of shade all suddenly. ''This is Krogan's doing. Not mine.''

Astrid and Heather exchanged a look, wondering whether to believe the enemy's words or not. It was Hiccup who was back on Dragon's Edge on his deathbed. It was for him they were out here talking to this man. Slitherwing Island had been set aflame by the Flyers on Krogan's order to avoid a possibility that Hiccup might survive the poison with the cure. Viggo wouldn't possibly go through all of this trouble to give the Riders the only cure that could save their leader, would he? But all Astrid knew was that this was the only way left to save her leader, her friend and her beloved. Viggo was right. Hiccup's clock was ticking.

She twisted around sharply to dig her eyes into Viggo's, and with a firm voice said, ''Deal.''

…

Dragon's Edge came in sight fast, the island only a dark land against the white background of a cloudy sky. The wind blew hard, but no one could come to care about the weather with this different kind of tension hanging in the air. The dragons aimed for Hiccup's hut and hovered above the building, coming down. But Astrid couldn't wait that long and jumped down Stormfly before she set foot on the wood planks.

Panting, she raced up the stairs where everybody awaited their friends' return. Hiccup had not moved at all since she'd left. The other Riders had not rested, pacing around the room restlessly, especially Fishlegs. When he saw her rush up the stairs, he couldn't help but shout even though she was right beside her.

''Hurry, he hasn't got much time left!'' he had said, but Astrid couldn't hear him through her roaring ears. Blood pounded in her body, making her feel on fire. But she couldn't come to care about herself.

''Quick, help me set him up,'' called Astrid to the others and the twins immediately grabbed their dying friend's arms and shoved him up to rest against the bed head. He was so limp; Astrid could've believed he was already dead. His skin was almost white with heavy dark bags colored under his eyes. It was almost scary.

The shieldmaiden grabbed Hiccup's lower jaw roughly and opened his mouth wide enough so she wouldn't spill any of the antidote, considering there might be just the right amount in the little bottle. She watched with wide eyes the liquid go down his throat, her forehead covered in sweat from all the anxiety and fright haunting her like a ghost. Letting go of him, Astrid backed away slowly, her blue eyes never leaving his form. The room was awfully quiet, only her fast breathing interrupting the silence that hanged in the air.

For a while, no one would say a word. No one _dared._ That was until Tuffnut pointed at Hiccup's changing features saying, ''Look.''

Hiccup's skin tone was indeed getting darker, back to its original color while the bags under his bright green eyes slowly disappeared. They could hear his breathing getting stronger and deeper, allowing sighs of great relief to see that their leader would actually live after all he's been through. Astrid let a shaky gasp escape her mouth and she could feel as if a wave of fresh water had washed over her burning form.

Astrid turned to the other Riders who'd been standing behind her holding their breaths, and smiled in thanks, the happiness and sadness in her eyes needless of words. They all knew what the girl was asking for. She could use some space after the waves of emotions she'd just experienced. She didn't know how much more she could've taken. But it didn't matter now. Hiccup was saved. He would survive… he would live. And nothing else in the whole world mattered at that moment.

* * *

 **Ah, such a happy ending... ^^ But it's not. More is coming. Much more... You have no idea how much I'll be abusing of Hiccup. Come on, did you really believe I'd only do this to him? Pff! no. Get ready for some more Hiccup!whump.**

 **Till next chapter! See yah!**


	7. Chapter 7

Daylight penetrated inside the room. Birdsongs echoed from the outside world along with the screeches of the Night Terrors. The smell of a brand new day had Hiccup blink his emerald green eyes open. He felt good. Even better, he felt great. Hiccup twitched his fingers to find that he couldn't from one hand. He looked on his side to find Astrid resting her head against the edge of his bed, her warm hand entwined with his. Hiccup quietly sighed and smiled. Yet, something bugged him. Why was Astrid here? Why wasn't she in her hut or already in the Clubhouse? Did something happen to him? Did he pass out? Did the Flyers attack? Too many questions stormed in his mind and Hiccup nudged his betrothed awake carefully.

''Astrid,'' he whispered, coming to a sitting position. He leaned down and stroked her rough blond hair, having her groan awake. ''Hey,''

''Hiccup?'' she said, blinking her blue eyes wide. ''Are you okay?'' Her voice strangely carried lots of concern, making Hiccup a bit uneasy.

''Astrid, what happened? What's going on?'' he asked, insisting with the question.

The young girl searched his eyes for a moment, not understanding. ''Y-you don't remember?'' she stammered, placing a hand on his bare shoulder. Hiccup eyed her careful hand, getting uncomfortable with this strange tension between them.

''Astrid, just tell me. What happened?'' he demanded, removing the covers to sit on the side of the bed.

''I—'' started Astrid, but was interrupted when a loud bang rang from downstairs.

''Oh, he's awake!'' shrieked Fishlegs, unable to hold back his excitement. He stormed into the hut, followed by the rest of the Riders and Heather.

''Hiccup, I swear, don't _ever_ do this to us or I will seriously kill you.'' threatened Snotlout, but everyone knew he wasn't being real.

''Tell us, how did it feel?'' asked Tuffnut, his sister shouldering him. ''Was it terribly painful?''

''Guys, guys!'' shouted Astrid, positioning herself in front of the crowd. ''He doesn't even know what happened.''

The Riders fell silent, staring at Astrid with their mouth tightly shut.

''Oh,'' said Tuffnut, making gestures of his hands as he and Ruffnut slithered back towards the staircase. ''We just, assumed…'' And then they were gone, avoiding trouble the best way they could.

Astrid turned to Hiccup who'd gotten to his feet by now, and avoided his gaze, not wanting to see the shock from them. ''Hiccup, you were poisoned with Slitherwing venom,'' informed Astrid, but Hiccup only furrowed his brows in confusion.

''When?'' he asked, a hint of hesitation in his voice as if he didn't really want to know.

Astrid inhaled and dared answer his question. ''The night you received a Terror Mail from Krogan,'' she replied, toying with her hands.

''How?'' wondered Hiccup, the question meant to no one in particular. He reached a hand up to his chin to stroke his invisible beard while thinking, recalling the events of the night he met up with Krogan at the bar at the Marketplace. Images of his meeting with the Flyer flashed in his mind to the very moment he felt the stab of the hatchling's fangs in his legs. As if he'd just been bitten, Hiccup groaned and stumbled back in a sitting position, studying his leg where the little dragon had struck.

''Hiccup, you need to know something,'' said Astrid so softly, sitting next to him. She was ashamed of her decision, but Viggo had left her no choice. ''Viggo's the one who gave us the cure to save you. I made a deal with him in exchange for it.''

Astrid could feel his eyes burning her flesh to know what that deal had been about. ''And what did he want?'' he asked dryly, swallowing hard.

''I…'' started Astrid, and she could feel everybody else's sorry eyes on her. ''I agreed to never attack the Hunters and Flyers in exchange to save your life.''

Hiccup's eyes fled from hers, his face growing stern.

''Hiccup,'' she said, reaching out a hand to him, but her leader was already dressing up without a word and making his way to the staircase. ''Where are you going?''

''I never agreed on this.'' declared Hiccup, holding to the wooden pole on the corner before going down the stairs.

''But, Hiccup—'' tried Heather, giving it a shot to speak some sense into him but it was no use.

''Viggo doesn't decide when I give up. He may have shown sympathy back there, but there are always more intentions behind his charm,'' he said, making himself clear enough.

''So what happens now?'' asked Snotlout after a pause where no one dared say anything.

''We carry on,'' said Hiccup, pointing his finger down to the ground while holding everybody's gaze. ''Fight till the end like true Dragon Riders. First, we strike their shipyard—''

''Whoa, Hiccup,'' interrupted Fishlegs who held both hands up, slowing him down. ''You're in no shape to fight!''

''Fishlegs is right, Hiccup,'' said Heather, stepping in. ''Use that anger for the right time.''

''But there won't ever be a right time!'' said Hiccup, and he was right. They knew he was. ''Can't you see that?''

The Riders stared at him with some sort of pity in their eyes and then shared a strangely concerned look.

''Hiccup, maybe you should get some rest,'' suggested Astrid, coming closer, but stopped from the look on his face. He was clearly shocked by her response.

''What?'' he mumbled, disbelieving them all.

''Obviously, the effects of the poison still haven't completely worn off and… please,'' said Astrid, trying to talk some sense into him but Hiccup was clearly disagreeing with their way of thinking right now. This was the perfect time to strike when the enemy thinks he's dying. How in the world couldn't they see that?

Hiccup backed away slowly while Astrid talked to him. He didn't want to hear it. Unable to bare these strangers anymore, Hiccup turned around and ran down the stairs, disappearing behind the corner to the entrance to his hut.

''Hiccup!'' he heard them call, but Hiccup refused to see them.

Toothless, who had been staying outside all night to guard his rider's hut, whined in confusion as his friend passed running by. The Night Fury jumped to his feet and galloped after him. But Hiccup wouldn't stop. He entered the Clubhouse and came to a stop, overlooking the interior like he'd never done before. There were shadows in the four corners of the building, and Hiccup couldn't see anything else there but darkness. The color brought him back to his dream where Viggo's voice echoed all around him. As if he were living it again, voices started whispering in his ears again and Hiccup fought by covering the sides of his head, grunting at the painful memories where he was simply scared, like a child having a nightmare. It had revealed how he'd truly felt facing Viggo and Krogan.

Clutching his hair, Hiccup shut his eyes while the world spun around and yelled into the empty, ''I'm not afraid of you!'' Roars of worry followed, but Hiccup was unconscious of Toothless' presence next to him. Losing balance, Hiccup stumbled backward, knocking his head against a wooden wall. Breathing hard, Hiccup reopened his tightly shut eyes to see the real world where he was in the Clubhouse, on his island, where his base was built. But he'd been proven that not because he was home that he was safe, even in his dreams.

'' _I've been expecting you,''_ repeated Viggo's voice in his head, and Hiccup looked up at the sun already high in the sky. Darkness would be here in a couple hours.

''I am _not_ afraid of you,'' repeated Hiccup, rising to his feet and hopping on Toothless' back who growled low while staring ahead. ''And I'm going to prove it."

* * *

 **Probably a rushed chapter, but some of you wanted this updated soon and I'm going away for some time. So till next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi, I'm sorry for making you all wait so long for an update. I really have no excuses, so I hope you don't hate me too much.**

 **Tahlibahli, I literally updated as soon as I could so you wouldn't kill me.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Hiccup leaned flat on Toothless as they aimed Dragon Hunter Island, going full speed. The sinking red sunset in the background made the scene look bloody. But even though nothing had happened yet and there was still time for Hiccup to reconsider things, if you asked him, he'd say that blood had been spilled a long time ago.

Without backup, and not expecting any, Hiccup pressed on the handles of his saddle and directed his Night Fury lower against the ocean's wavy surface.

''This is it, bud,'' he whispered to his trusty dragon, his eyes narrowed dangerously ahead. ''This is the day Viggo and Krogan pay for their crimes.'' There were no intentions to save any dragons in this plan of his if there was any plan at all. Hiccup was blinded by rage and didn't care about the aftermath of the events in the very near future.

Ships appeared underneath Toothless' wings and shouts of surprise echoed from the beach. Frowning in anger and grabbing Inferno, Hiccup flew Toothless down low to the Hunters reassembled around a campfire and ordered his dragon to fire. His toxic green eyes narrowed to slits, the Night Fury did as told and the blast exploded in purple, drawing many other men's attention to the scene. Toothless circled back and dived back down towards the enemy, landing on the sandy surface. Fire lit their position as the dust landed back down on Earth and all the Hunters could see was that their island was being attacked by a very angry Night Fury and its rider. But despite the sight, they shouted their battle-cry and charged at the ultimate duo with axes, swords, and maces. The Night Fury growled low and fired at the men, no mercy like usual this time. He was going for the kill every time he could strike. Hiccup took his buddy's back and attacked with his flaming sword every soldier that came close enough for him to leave a mark on their skin. He was fuelled by anger for Viggo and Krogan, and as Heather had told him to do, he used that anger for the right time.

Yet, no matter how many Hunters he knocked out and sent running, more kept coming and when he and Toothless were surrounded from every side and no way out but up, Hiccup called for his dragon and mounted up to take to the sky. Unfortunately, his entrance had warned Krogan of his presence and Toothless' exit was blocked by an enormous Singetail hovering above them. Misbalanced in flight, Toothless roared and crashed back down on the beach. Now Flyers had joined the party, unbalancing the odds.

Hiccup picked himself up, reaching for his sword that had sunk itself in the ground, extinguishing its raging flames much like the fire that had been burning inside his chest. Gasping for breath from his crash, Hiccup straightened his back to face the army before him of Dragon Hunters and Flyers, Singetails hovering above the sea of soldiers with the tip of their tails ready to fire. Toothless growled low in warning to the archers, but the odds were now against them and there was no turning back now.

Krogan landed his titan and dismounted, approaching the Rider fearlessly. He was in control now and he loved that Hiccup knew that. Two Flyers had joined his side as the duo backed away slowly. But Krogan wouldn't let Hiccup the chance to do so. Not this time.

His soldiers grabbed Hiccup by the arms and pulled him out of the Night Fury's protection. Hiccup struggled against their grasp, and if a glare could kill, not a man on this island would be alive by now.

Kicking the back of his kneecap, they lowered the boy on one knee in front of the tall foreigner, but Hiccup refused to bow to this awful man. He looked up, glaring green eyes and nostrils flaring, but the Flyer didn't flinch once.

''Well, isn't this a nice surprise?'' said Krogan, smiling at his victory. ''I was hoping you'd die.''

''It doesn't work that way, Krogan,'' commented Hiccup, baring his teeth. The man looked down at him longer than Hiccup would've liked and finally received the punch to the jaw he'd expected to come. The Rider tasted his own blood in his mouth but held himself back from spitting it at the foreigner's feet.

''Don't you worry, my boy,'' reassured Krogan in a not-so-reassuring way actually. ''I'll find plenty of ways to end your miserable life now that you're mine. Do you mind if I try them all?''

Hiccup wanted to throw himself at Krogan, but fortunately for the Flyer, his men held him back. That didn't mean he wouldn't try and Hiccup tried to shove himself forward sharply. Krogan chuckled in amusement and took and few steps backward.

''I like you more this way,'' chanted Krogan, eyeing the youngster from head to toe. ''More angry _._ More manly. It's almost a shame to kill you, really.''

''You'll try,'' said Hiccup, a smile growing from the corner of his mouth. ''And fail, again. 'Cause that's how the story goes. It's always the same pattern, Krogan. You should know.''

Krogan grimaced in disgust and turned away from his new captive. ''Too bad you couldn't bury your sassy side as well. It's _annoying,_ '' said Krogan, his arms reached to his back.

''I know that,'' replied Hiccup, raising his voice. ''Which is why I continue 'cause it pisses you off.''

Krogan twisted around sharply and Hiccup felt the man's knee meet his guts. The teen coughed loudly, blood dripping from his mouth and splashing on the sand beneath him.

''Ouch,'' was all he could say before he was lifted off by the soldiers under their leader's orders.

''Take him to the dungeon,'' he told his Flyers, pointing in the direction of its location. ''I'll see to him on a short notice.''

And it was at that moment that Hiccup wished he'd listened to Astrid when she'd told him to get some more sleep...


	9. Chapter 9

Hiccup had to admit… this was the worst decision he'd ever made. He wasn't sure he could do worst if he escaped this time. His mind raced with regret and how he should've listened to his friends when he had the chance. He couldn't imagine how hurt they must be that he turned his back on them, especially in a time of crisis. He felt like he had betrayed them… And as he looked around his prison, he wasn't sure if he'd survived this time, given they had trouble beating a few guards on dragon-backs with a whole team of Riders. And maybe that's what he deserved after all… Maybe this was the Gods' making. So should he keep on fighting? Or should he let it be? With rusty bars surrounding him and trapping him against a rock wall, all he could do was let his eyes stare at the stone floor covered of dry blood and dust with his back resting against the cold stone. He was about to drift off from fatigue when the sound of footsteps echoed around the dark tunnels, announcing nothing good. He raised his eyes cautiously to see a tall intimidating shadow paint the wall. He braced himself for Krogan for the man had announced he would see to him shortly. His emerald eyes reflected the dancing flames of the torch, making them appear filled with raging fire as his gaze fell upon the form of Viggo Grimborn.

''You couldn't just leave well enough alone, could you, Hiccup?'' said Viggo with a scoop of frustration in his tone as he approached Hiccup's cell.

Hiccup got up fast from his sad spot and stared at the man with hatred in his eyes, recalling what Astrid had told him about the deal she'd made with the Hunter to save his life. Her words replayed in his mind, but with Viggo finally standing before him, his chest only filled with poison born from pure hatred.

''How dare you manipulate Astrid on a decision like this?'' spat Hiccup, baring his teeth angrily. It wasn't up to Viggo to decide when he gave up. It was never up to him, or anyone, for that matter. ''You're more of a coward than he'll ever be! At least Krogan doesn't toy around with his opponents…''

''I risked big to keep you alive, my dear boy,'' said Viggo, grabbing the bars of the cell aggressively, but Hiccup didn't flinch once. After a short moment of quiet tension, Viggo cleared his throat and returned his hands behinds his back. As for Hiccup, he kept on glaring. ''But it seems you're in love with death. It's almost like you're flirting trying to get yourself killed. But that can be arranged if you wish.''

''Don't waste your time, Viggo,'' said Hiccup, calmer this time. He walked slowly back to the other side of his prison and sat down heavily with his elbows on his knees. ''Krogan will be here any minute. You won't have to worry. He'll take care of me…''

By then, the young Rider had broken eye contact with the Hunter and left his head hanging just like before Viggo came to confront him. Even if he stared at the ground blankly, he could picture Viggo's face at him breaking down. It sure must be a pathetic sight for Viggo, but Hiccup couldn't come to care. Not anymore.

''So that's how it's going to be then?'' asked Viggo.

Hiccup didn't reply, and grabbed some small scattered rocks off the floor and threw them effortlessly at Viggo but they hit the metal bars separating them, the noise echoing all around them.

''Where is the great Hiccup Haddock the Third who once stood up to me even at his darkest hour?'' said Viggo, coming out more as a challenge than a question.

''You know, it almost sounds like you want me to get out of here,'' noticed Hiccup which had Viggo silenced for a moment.

''And what if that was the case?'' replied Viggo, raising his chin and locking eyes with his opponent once more.

Hiccup frowned at the Hunter, confusion lit on his face. But before they had a chance to discuss this more, a loud noise rang down the tunnels and Hiccup was fast on his feet when he saw Krogan enter the room with a smug smile stretched on his face.

''Ah, Grimborn!'' called Krogan, advancing towards his partner. ''I see you've had a chance to chat with our guest.''

Hiccup noticed Viggo and Krogan make eye contact and he could clearly see that these two didn't exactly see eye to eye on everything.

''Indeed,'' replied Viggo, adjusting his posture to make himself look confident. The Hunter returned his gaze turning dark once again on their captive and put on a smug smile on his face as well. ''Hiccup and I had so much to catch up on.''

Krogan snickered lightly and approached the cell, throwing the gate wide open.

''I hope you enjoyed this little exchange, boy,'' said Krogan, chains dangling from his hand. ''Because my treatment is a little bit different…''

Hiccup tightened his fists and glared dangerously at the tall foreigner standing in front of him. The scarred leather of his armor and the dried blood staining his skin from the scratches from the short battle that had him here made him look ready to fight the Flyer again and again, as many times as he would need. But he was not only fighting for himself. He was haunted by guilt for running away from his loved ones and he would fight till his last breath for them.

Unfortunately, it only took a glimpse of Viggo's terrified expression right past Krogan to switch his too. With fright painted all over Hiccup's face, he never felt more helpless as Krogan came closer, his fear feeding him power as he towered up above him like a monster about to nourish on his soul.


	10. Chapter 10

Astrid stood on the edge of the platform outside the Clubhouse, overlooking the ocean. The gentle sound of the waves crashing on the land matched the kind wind blowing on the young warrior's face, making her bangs move delicately across the forehead. The sun was setting for a second time since Hiccup took off Thor knows where and she was beginning to worry something might have happened to her betrothed. Who knows? Perhaps he got captured by the Hunters during a midnight flight or maybe he crashed on a island without anyone knowing where he was or—

Astrid closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to chase that negativity away. But she couldn't help being worried about Hiccup.

''Guys, I don't like it,'' she said, turning to the other Riders sitting at the table in the Clubhouse, eating and playing Maces and Talons in a crate. ''Hiccup and Toothless should've been back by now, they never stay out that long.''

''Astrid,'' replied Fishlegs, his voice comforting. ''We were all there when he stormed away. It's obvious he just needs time to clear his head, that's all.''

''Annnd, bam!'' cheered Ruffnut from the corner of the room while throwing her arms in the air in triumph. ''Who's the crybaby now?''

Tuffnut moaned sadly as he studied the bottom of the crate of the game, all of his game pieces gone.

Astrid rolled her eyes at the interruption and crossed her arms over her chest.

''We can't just sit here and wait for him to come back,'' she insisted, gesturing with a hand at her friends for some support. ''We got to do something.''

''But there's nothing we _can_ do,'' said Snotlout, actually taking things seriously compared to the twins. ''You know Hiccup best, Astrid. You know as well as I do that when Hiccup needs space, you give it to him, or else…''

The shieldmaiden stared at Snotlout for a couple seconds, acknowledging his words. He was right. Hiccup hated when people entered his bubble in times where he needed to process things through. She remembered when she joined him on that sea stack when he had to accept he would have to hurt the Singetails to defeat the Flyers. At first, of course, it seemed there wasn't any other option but to take out the dragon to take out its Flyer. Astrid had joined Hiccup while he needed time alone and she'd never felt him more distant than when he said he didn't want to talk.

She sighed in defeat, letting her shoulders drop. ''Yeah, I guess you're right…'' she replied softly, grabbing her upper arm as she would do when hurt. ''Goodnight, everyone. I'm going to bed.''

Heather watched her friend leave with concern clear on her face. She exchanged a look with Fishlegs sitting next to her and with a shy shrug from her friend; she got up and caught up with her.

''Hey, Astrid,'' called Heather, reaching out a hand as the blond girl walked silently over the bridges to her hut. Astrid paused in her tracks and turned around slowly to face her best friend.

''Look, I know what you're going to say—'' said Astrid, exhaustion clearly visible from the past few days. Trying to save Hiccup's life from Slitherwing venom hadn't exactly been relaxing and after watching over her beloved nights long, the fatigue was catching up to the shieldmaiden.

''No, you don't,'' replied Heather gently. ''Look, I know Hiccup's been through a lot the past few days. And so have we. I mean, we've been battling the Hunters _and_ the Flyers non-stop and we haven't claimed more. We've been slowly dragging ourselves into the ground and with everything that's happened to Hiccup, I understand you're worried sick about him.''

Astrid cocked an eyebrow as the raven-haired girl, still unaware of where she was going with this. She knew all of that, why would she put it into words?

''So, what are you saying?'' asked Astrid, confused.

''You go get some rest, you've been through a lot,'' she said, placing a hand on her friend's spiky shoulder pad. ''To make you feel better; I'll patrol the areas nearby and see if he's around. If he's not, we'll go on a search party in the morning and try to find him for his own sake. He wouldn't leave his team for more than three days with everything going on unless something bad happened. Does that sound good?''

Astrid sighed and smiled gratefully at her best friend, wrapping her arms around her in gratitude.

''I'll see you in the morning,'' said Heather, parting from Astrid.

Heather smiled tenderly as she watched her go, thankful she put her trust in her. Grabbing her horn, she pressed her lips against the entrance and blew, creating a deep sound and a unique call for her trusty Razorwhip. Only a few moments later, Windshear roared sharply and landed next to her rider, allowing the young girl to climb on the saddle.

''Alright, Windshear,'' she said, grabbing on to the handles with a fearless look in her toxic green eyes. ''Let's go find Hiccup.''

…

Hiccup's arms stretched above his head loosely as Krogan cuffed his other wrist to the chains dangling over him from the ceiling. He'd felt defenseless before, being locked in a cell with no weapons, not even a knife. But this went above all of that. He felt more vulnerable than before, with his chest and every single fragile rib exposed to the enemy. Whatever Krogan's 'treatment' was, he already knew he wasn't going to enjoy it.

The tall foreigner dusted his hands off and backed away slightly to admire his work. With Hiccup's hands cuffed over his head, the boy was without any defense and it was all up to him what he felt like doing next.

''You have no idea how long I've dreamed of this moment,'' said Krogan, walking in a tight circle so slowly.

''Well, you sure dream big,'' commented Hiccup, bringing out his sassy side, being his only remaining defense.

Krogan turned back around to face him, a twisted smile printed on his lips. ''That is true. Yet,'' he said, lowering himself slightly to be at the same eye level as his captive. ''Look where we are now.''

''Krogan, is this really necessary?'' demanded Viggo from outside the cell, standing straight as he addressed his partner.

But the man didn't even turn around to answer the Hunter's question. ''Not for business,'' he replied, narrowing his eyes on Hiccup with a smile only growing bigger every passing minute. ''This is treat time.''

''That sounds so wrong,'' commented Hiccup, a disgusted look all over his face.

The Flyer didn't waste another second and punched the Rider square in the jaw. Right on the impact, Hiccup felt like his legs had disappeared from underneath him as his deadweight tugged on the chains above him and left him hanging loosely from the painful handcuffs ruining his wrists.

It took him a moment, but he finally found the strength in the lower part of his body to pull himself back up and stand on foot and prosthetic. Tasting his own blood in his mouth, Hiccup spat out the red liquid to the floor and summoned his bravery to look up at the Flyer challengingly.

''Jeez, Krogan, what did I ever do to _you?_ '' he demanded, his bangs dangling over his eyes.

Unfortunately for Hiccup, all he received were more punches to his middle like Krogan was using him as a human punching bag.

''We wouldn't be here, Hiccup, if you'd just accepted your fate,'' said the Flyer between hits. ''You know why? 'Cause you'd already be _dead._ ''

''Seize this brutality at once, Krogan!'' shouted Viggo from behind the foreigner, a hand strongly gripping at a rusty metal bar of the cell.

''Are we gonna have a problem, Viggo?'' asked Krogan, turning to face the Hunter with sweat running down the side of his face. He slowly walked away from Hiccup who coughed out as quietly as he could, refusing to appear weaker in front of the Flyer. Viggo never broke the glare with his business partner and only watched as he came closer. ''We've come so far you and I.''

Blood dripped down one drop at a time from Hiccup's mouth as he raised his head just enough to see what had paused Krogan's so-called treatment.

''I will not tolerate such childish behavior,'' stated Viggo, pointing his index to the ground authoritatively.

But Krogan only sneered in response and walked passed Viggo towards one of two guards that had accompanied Krogan when he'd arrived.

''Oh, Viggo,'' said Krogan, snatching one of the guards' crossbows they had in hand. ''You can't say you hate it until you've tried it.''

Viggo wondered what Krogan had in mind next and feared the worst as he walked back towards the entrance of the cell.

''You wouldn't dare…'' he hissed while the Flyer loaded the weapon, pulling on the string to settle behind the arrow.

''Oh no, this…'' he said, pausing as he admired the crossbow. ''This is for you.'' Then Krogan lifted up the sharp end of the arrow ready to be fired in Viggo's direction and the man held his gaze with the foreigner, wondering what game he was playing at. Krogan grew a smile in the corner of his mouth and gestured with his head to the entrance of the cell. ''Go on. Beat 'im up.''

Viggo put on a dark mask and slowly followed the man's orders, walking into the cell and approaching the boy who could barely take on more bruising from where he hanged. Silence hung in the air as Viggo positioned himself before Hiccup, resisting at lifting up his fists onto the Rider. His eyes stared at the floor, refusing to meet his greatest opponent's gaze. Just as he slightly cast a look over his shoulder at Krogan, he caught a glimpse of the man ready to pull on the trigger with the deadly end of the arrow aiming for the back of his neck and understood he didn't have a choice this time. He would have to take whatever order from Krogan for as long as his life was on the line. Because if he dies, Hiccup dies just as well and Krogan would win and he just couldn't let that happen.

Tightening his fist, Viggo stroke right in the Rider's guts and forced another blow on his torso, repeating the movements again and again and again until the Hunter was lost in the enjoyment of violence he hated so much. Breathing rapidly, Viggo punched him once last time before waiting for Hiccup to raise his gaze again and meet his sorry eyes.

Gasping for breath with blood dripping down his mouth and bags colored underneath his tired eyes, Hiccup forced himself to meet the Hunter's gaze and fought for strength to speak some few words to the man he had learned to respect despite their positions. But not anymore.

''You'll… you'll never change…'' he whispered before dropping his head from the pain traveling throughout his body.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the wait. I had exams and was working on my other story "The Endless Night" that's actually both fanfiction and school work at the same time for a big project. So I had to write the whole crossover down before doing anything else and drove myself ill (I'm a genius, I know). And then after writing the crossover, of course, instead of continuing "Venom", I had the great idea to start an original story that I'm currently writing as my first book (which has nothing to do with dragons, Vikings, trolls, and witches to my surprise as well). No, it's a teenage romance novel around horses so it's pretty fun to write down. But I'm taking my time so it's not rushed and as well written as I can manage. So I gotta love you guys a lot to write for you and finish "Venom" somewhere this century.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Hiccup hung from the chains, drooling out blood from his parted jaws, unable to fight no more against this torture. Resisting the hits was more exhausting then letting himself be beaten to death. And in fact, death would probably be a treat compared to what he was living right now.

Viggo stood before him, breathing loudly as he backed off to admire his work. Krogan smiled wickedly from the back, the crossbow dropped to his side when he saw his partner going at it wildly. He chuckled at the boy, enjoying the sight he'd dreamed of for so long ever since his first encounter with the Dragon Riders.

But his buzz was quickly interrupted when a guard rushed to them, out of breath.

"Krogan, sir!" he said, waving to get his leader's attention. He seemed panicked as if he'd just ran away from a battle, seeking for backup. "The Night Fury's escaped!"

Krogan growled low before turning to Viggo and Hiccup, furrowing his eyebrows angrily before returning to the Flyer.

"How can you possibly lose a _caged_ dragon?" demanded Krogan, exiting the cell to appear more intimidating as he addressed the guard quivering before him. He glared down at the Flyer, but realization hit him quickly enough. "Unless…" Krogan suddenly chuckled, letting his eyes close as his shoulders shook, slowly turning around to face the downed Rider. He pointed a figure at his partner glaring back, his fists tightened. "Don't think we're done yet."

Krogan twisted around and gestured to his guards. "Round up all the guards!" he ordered commandingly. He pointed at the two Flyers that had been guarding the entrance to this section of the underground dungeons, staring them right in the eyes. "You two with me!"

He was about to exit the cave when Viggo called from the cell, "Are you sure that's the best initiative, Krogan?"

Krogan stopped mid-track and looked over his shoulder with a sickening smile at his business partner. But the Flyer ignored him and called to his guards, leaving Viggo with Hiccup without supervision.

When Viggo didn't hear another sound but the shouts of guards further down the tunnels, the Hunter turned to the boy and unsheathed his knife from his belt, waving it before the boy. Hiccup eyed the blade fearlessly and met Viggo's gaze, his chest pumping.

"You do what you have to do, Viggo…" he wheezed, clearly exhausted. He couldn't think clearly, but all Hiccup could remember was how with him gone, the Flyers and Hunters would leave the rest of Dragon Riders alone. Everyone would be safer without him.

"Oh no, Hiccup," replied Viggo, watching the boy as he let his head hang. "I'm going to do far worse than kill you." Swinging the blade, the Hunter sliced the chains above Hiccup's head and with a loud _cling!,_ the Rider dropped to the ground. But before he hit the solid stone-floor, Viggo grabbed the heir and held him up, trying to help him regain his footing.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Hiccup, fighting to keep his eyes opened.

"Because if I let you die, the game would end here," said Viggo, Hiccup's head lolling backward on his spiky shoulder pad. "And what fun would that be?"

Hiccup didn't reply and grabbed his stomach and struggled to keep his balance on his two quivering legs, hoping he'd hang on long enough to get out of here alive or be given a quick and painless death in the attempt.

"Common, this way," indicated Viggo, showing the way for Hiccup could barely see a thing through his eyes narrowed to slits. His surroundings were blurry and every sound seemed like distant banging deep underwater.

He stumbled forward, but with Viggo's help, he was directed toward the exit. Every guard had gone from Krogan's orders and Viggo was thankful for once that the madman hadn't listened to his advice. Killing your enemies for what you stood was one thing, but imprisoning them to keep them barely alive was completely inhuman. As much as he hated to admit it, Viggo was somewhat afraid of Krogan. Even though they were business partners, if the tall foreigner caught him helping the Rider escape their island, he'd far probably suffer the same fate at Hiccup had. But Viggo refused to stand by and let one of his most formidable opponents be thrown to waste. Hiccup was too much of a valuable Maces and Talons game piece to be replaced so easily. He couldn't let the Viking chief be broken yet. Not till he said so.

…

Heather grasped tightly to the handles of her saddle, gazing straight ahead at the fast approaching island of the Dragon Hunters. She couldn't believe Hiccup had been this stupid to run straight into enemy territory with no backup and expect to come out safely.

 _Unless he didn't…_ thought Heather, making her eyes widen fearfully. Unless he did expect to be caught and harmed. She had noticed how Hiccup had been acting back on the Edge. He had reminded her of herself when she was chasing after Dagur for revenge. Hiccup had a taste of revenge on his tongue. He had found Viggo's move unacceptable and gone after the man with no regard for his life. He wanted to prove the Hunter wrong even if it killed him.

"Common, Windshear," she shouted at her dragon who roared back sharply, her eyes narrowing to slits. "We got to get to Hiccup, fast!"

The Razorwhip quickened her pace, her sharp wings beating more rapidly. It didn't take long and they entered Dragon Hunter Island's waters. Ships were docked everywhere around the island. Krogan's plans to wipe them out was more serious than Heather realized, which was why she had to get Hiccup out of there before the merciless Flyer killed him off once and for all.

A sharp roar in the night caught the Berserker's attention as she searched the island below her dragon's wings and Heather's eyes snapped down to the cages by the beach.

"There!" she indicated her dragon, trying to keep as quiet as possible. The Razorwhip soared lower to the ground and landed in the trees to avoid getting spotted so soon. "Easy, girl. We only got one shot at this."

Heather patted Windshear's silver neck and slid down the saddle, grabbing her double-headed battle-ax and swinging it open for precaution. She gestured with her head to follow and narrowed her eyes on the cages lying on the sand, the dragons roaring loudly in despair and anger that their freedom had been taken away from them.

She took cautious steps and hid the instant a guard walked by. But with her years as a rogue dragon rider, Heather had learned stealth better than anyone else after the Defenders of the Wing. She climbed a dragon-proof cage and looked down, spotting the Hunter, and as light as a feather in the wind, she hopped down the cage and wrapped her legs around the man's neck, squeezing hard till he passed out and landed back delicately on the ground.

Smiling proudly, she looked down victoriously until a shout alarming others of her presence caught her attention and Heather rushed to confront them, her Razorwhip hot on her heels. It didn't take long and the scouts were all knocked out cold on the beach. Not another shout alerted the young Berserker and Heather carried on searching for Toothless' cage. She could've sworn she'd heard the Night Fury call from one of these cages so he couldn't be that far.

"Where are you, Toothless?" she whispered in the wind, gazing at the countless cages with her hood covering her hair. As if to answer her question, a sharp call belonging to none other dragon than the Night Fury had Heather swirl around and run in direction of the cry.

Right there, Toothless banged his head against the dragon-proof bars, drawing a little blood from the constant struggle. It wasn't strange for Heather to see an intelligent dragon act so wild in a moment of distress. She remembered when she met Windshear. She was injured and acting like a real dragon, but when she got to know her, she could see how wise the Razorwhip really was. Deep down, dragons were still wild and dangerous and, well, animals. It was out of instinct to fight until death.

Heather rushed to the cage and the Night Fury's narrowed toxic green eyes gentled back to black squares, cooing at her curiously.

"Yes, I know, I shouldn't be here," she replied to the dragon, trying to figure out a way to bust him out of the tight prison. Narrowing her eyes on the lock, the backed away. "Windshear." The Razorwhip roared sharply and sliced the metal like a warm knife through yak butter. A Razorwhip's tail was Dragon-proof metal's most feared enemy.

The Night Fury didn't hesitate a second and bounced out of the prison, bumping his head against the girl in appreciation of her rescue.

"No worries, Toothless," reassured the young Berserker, giving the Night Fury a gentle scratch on the head as his rider would do. "But we need to find Hiccup. Any idea where he could be?"

Toothless growled low, his eyes narrowing to slits while his nostrils flared to track down his rider's scent. The Night Fury didn't waste another second and dashed through the woods to get to his best friend, sensing his distress like Zippleback gas drifting on the forest floor, spelling danger. With Heather and Windshear hot on his heels, Toothless led them to Hiccup, hoping to find him before death did.


	12. Chapter 12

**Why hello, back again. I realized this story is more complicated than I first wanted it to be so yay I guess.**

 **Chapter 12 is up** **!**

* * *

"Urgh, we should go after her," said Astrid, looking out at the dark ocean, unable to stand still for a minute, pacing around non-stop, lost in her thoughts of what-ifs. She turned to the other Riders sitting comfortably in the Clubhouse, not looking the least bit worried for their two friends who had gone out Thor-knows-where.

"Nope, you heard Heather," said Snotlout, sitting on a chair balanced on its hind legs, his helmet pulled over his eyes as he pointed at Astrid. "Let the lady do her job. She's the only one who can find Hiccup in his present state."

"But we can't just sit by and let her fly out there like this," she said, making wild gestures with her arms while everyone stared at her, wondering why she was so worried.

"Uh, sure we can!" said Tuffnut, shrugging mindlessly. He leaned against the wall behind him, Ruffnut sitting on a crate by his side. "We've got all the work cut out for us for once. Just sit back and relax."

Astrid glared in his direction but the male twin only shrugged again, sliding down against the wooden wall until his bottom hit the floor.

"Astrid, I'm sure Heather has everything under control," said Fishlegs, coming to Astrid's side and placing a gentle hand on her spiked shoulder pad. "She'd handled all sorts of bizarre encounters. I'm sure she can do this on her own."

"But something feels wrong," she replied, turning around once again to face the black sea, the sky completely starless from the thick covering of clouds with the deep and threatening rumbling of thunder far in the distance. "We're a team… if one of us goes, we all go."

"Yeah, but Heather isn't a Dragon Rider anymore," commented Snotlout. "So what does that make her to us?"

"A Berserker, if I'm correct," said Ruffnut with a royal tone, a hand behind her back after she'd hopped to her feet to assist.

"And you are, thank you Ruffnut," said Snotlout, pointing in her direction. He faced Astrid once again who didn't seem too pleased with the way they were all behaving. "And no one wants to keep those around. If Heather comes across Krogan or Viggo, I'm more worried about them than I am about her."

"But hasn't Heather been captured back in the Viggo episode?" asked Tuffnut, his elbows resting on his knees. "Yah know? The day we lost the Dragon Eye?"

"Not helping, Tuff," said Snotlout, dropping on his chair's four legs, looking the twins' way accusingly.

"If anything happens to them – both of them…" said Astrid, turning around once more to face the horizon, a deep sensation in her gut that something wasn't right.

Fishlegs turned her around, trying to reassure her everything was going to be fine. "Trust Heather, Astrid," he said. "She's a skilled rogue and probably our best shot to get Hiccup back. She's been where he stands, remember that."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked, a tone of anxiety which she rarely let show except to Hiccup who she trusted with her life. "How do we know where Hiccup went or when he might come back? He just disappeared and I can't help but feel like this is all my fault… I should never have taken Viggo's deal!"

"Easy, Astrid," eased Fishlegs but he was already losing her as she returned to pacing, balled fists and mumbling to herself angrily.

"If only I had been stronger and convinced him not to go meet Krogan, Hiccup would never have been poisoned, and if he'd never been poisoned, then I never would've taken Viggo's antidote and I would've had to make that stupid deal!" Everyone in the Clubhouse stared at her wordlessly. They had seen Astrid angry before, but never like this. She was afraid. "And then he wouldn't have been so delusional and flown out to—"

She stopped sharply, freezing on the spot, her eyes growing wide and filled with terror.

"Astrid?" asked Fishlegs who had backed away a little, trying to seek out to her without getting punched to shut up.

But Astrid remained unmoving and slowly returned her attention out at the approaching storm, the cold winds of the ocean blowing her bangs out of her face, her blue eyes reflecting the far lightning strikes like the ice-cold feeling of realization of where Hiccup had gone.

"We need to go after him," she quietly said, barely whispering the words out. "He went after him… He went after Viggo. Alone."

…

Hiccup stumbled forward with his arm wrapped around Viggo's neck which the man held in place, helping the young Rider through the underground maze as fast as they could while avoiding the Flyers guarding the exits. Every way out was blocked and they had to keep moving constantly to avoid a passing guard from spotting them. It was exhausting for Hiccup but it was all the Hunter could offer at the moment to keep him alive.

"This is a nightmare," said Viggo, scanning the barely lit up caves, the torches hanging from the walls slowly giving out and casting a dark orange-red lighting around them.

"Well, this sure is new coming from you, Viggo," spoke up Hiccup as he carefully sat on the ground with the man's help to rest a little before carrying on with their escape. He chuckled lightly, his body starting to change color from the bruises.

"I don't see what's so amusing in our current condition," he said, glaring down at the boy through his dark brown eyes.

"Oh, it's just you, helping me after everything you've done," he said, looking up at him through tired eyes. "Just so you can keep playing your little mind-trick game…" He emerald eye turned to a dark shade and silence settled between them.

"Believe it or not, I do want you alive," said Viggo, straightening up a little, a touch of honesty in his voice. "I don't tolerate Krogan's methods, trust me on that."

"Why _should_ I trust you, Viggo?" asked Hiccup, resting the back of his head against the rock wall tiredly.

"I'm trying to help you, Hiccup," he said darkly, taking one step closer to the Rider who didn't even slightly flinch. "Maybe you should appreciate those favors once in a while."

"Yeah, well," he said, swallowing. "I don't appreciate those that force me to turn my back on my friends…"

Viggo fled his gaze after a staring contest, sighing heavily, letting his composed posture drop a little before returning to the boy. "I know you hate me, Hiccup," he said, placing a hand on his chest as he spoke. "But believe me when I say that I forced the deal with your little girlfriend to protect you and your Riders."

"And why exactly would you do that?" demanded Hiccup, frowning suspiciously up at the man.

"I do want peace," he replied, surprising Hiccup and not just a little. He had never known the Dragon Hunter leader to be peaceful; in fact, he had always only known him for causing war and destruction by capturing and killing dragons. Or more likely while his men did his dirty work and he hid in the shadows, getting all the gold from his slaughters. "And I know that it will never be possible with Krogan in the way. That's why I want you out of my sight, so you don't get caught in the middle of all this bloodshed."

Hiccup held his gaze, trying to figure out if the Dragon Hunter was telling the truth or if it was just one of his many lies to manipulate people to do whatever he needed them to do so he could profit of the consequences of their actions.

Viggo Grimborn was a mysterious man at times and Hiccup didn't know how well he knew him sometimes. But as a shout echoing down the tunnels rang to their ears, alerting them to keep moving, Hiccup was pulled out of his reflection and struggled to his feet with the Hunter's help, carrying on trying to find an escape as Hiccup blindly trusted Viggo to get them out of the mess he was so unconsciously taken the pleasure to throw himself in.

* * *

 **Who's with me to say that Race to the Edge is where it's at!**

 **I don't think I might write anything about The Hidden World so long live the series!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Got a couple of those in the oven! Enjoy! (this is taking a twist I didn't plan btw, this is why it's taking so long to update, I don't have the end planned out yet! AHH!)**

* * *

A blur of colors flashed by as the remaining Riders flew across the dark night sky, the pale colors of dawn a thin line between ocean and sky, the rest of the background as black as coal. Today promised rain from the looks of the thick layers of clouds above their heads and the smell of humidity.

Astrid led the group, her gaze fixed ahead for any sign they were nearing Dragon Hunter Island. The ruthless wind of the sea pushed her blonde bangs away from her eyes, revealing the unmasked fear in her blue irises.

"How are we even sure Hiccup went after Viggo?" asked Snotlout, coming from her left, flying lower than her Nadder. He was acting very calm, almost bored, Astrid noticed. The Nightmare rider leaned back, holding tight to his dragon's long horns.

"There's no other place I can think of where Hiccup would've gone," she replied, leaning to the side while holding on to her saddle. Hiccup had sure surprised her when he stormed out of his hut after he'd just recovered from his poisoning. She had felt the disappointment and anger coming from him like waves against the shore. Of course, Hiccup wanted revenge, especially after what both Flyer and Hunter had done to him. He hadn't cared whether he was alone or not. Not in his state of mind, he hadn't.

"Astrid, not to offend your judgment or anything, I would really appreciate if you didn't throw me into the ocean or anything—" said Tuffnut, only to be cut off.

"Get on with it Tuff," said Astrid, her eyes narrowed impatiently as she looked down at him.

"There's just no way our dear leader would've gone there," he said, shrugging. "I mean, I'm crazy and I think this is crazy coming from Hiccup. There's no way—"

"I _know_ he's there, Tuffnut!" declared Astrid, cutting him off once again. "He's gotta be." She returned her gaze straight ahead, tightening her jaws with the hope she was right about this or else she'd be sending her fellow teammates straight to their deaths. But when she thought about it, Hiccup or no Hiccup, flying right into enemy territory was a complete suicide mission whether there was a mission or not. She just hoped she wasn't taking that risk for nothing.

The other Riders exchanged a long glance, worried their replacement of a leader might not be thinking straight either. But they still trusted Astrid and her decisions and followed her where she led. They soon neared enemy territory, entering in the Dragon Hunters' dreadful waters.

They all swallowed hard, eyeing the shipyard below with troubled eyes. The dark sky cast a menacing filter below their dragons' wings, making every Rider uneasy as they approached the land. They climbed higher in the clouds to be out of eyesight until Astrid gave the signal to drop down as fast as they could down in the thick forest of the island.

It didn't take too long and the Dragon Riders set foot on their dreaded enemies' island where Hiccup and Toothless might just happen to be. They waited in silence, holding tight to their dragons as Astrid held her hand up for total quiet. She expected some alarming shout coming from a nearby guard she might not have spotted, but when nothing came, she slid off her Deadly Nadder and indicated the others to do so as well and gesturing them to come closer.

"This feels weird," whispered Ruffnut, eyeing her surroundings suspiciously.

"Agreed," said Tuffnut, a hand to his chin as he narrowed his eyes around. "Something smells oddly fishy around here."

"Duh. You morons are standing right next to Fishlegs," said Snotlout, earning a scowl from Fishlegs.

"Enough," ordered Astrid, widening her arms. "You guys wanna get us all caught?"

"Not particularly," said Tuffnut, dropping his arms to his sides, looking guilty.

Astrid sighed and took a moment before returning to the group. "Alright, we need to get this search party moving before someone actually finds us." She gestured to her dragon and Stormfly joined her side, squawking quietly.

"Should we spread out?" asked Fishlegs sheepishly, toying with his hands nervously.

"I'd prefer not," she replied and she could see her teammate relax a little. "We'll be much safer if we all stick together."

"Duly noted," said Snotlout, a smug look on his face as he started walking.

"Wrong way, Snotlout," she called out to him, rolling her eyes annoyingly. The short Viking walked right past her once again, glaring frustratingly at her before the whole group followed in direction of the camp.

They trailed after one another in silence, holding their breaths at the unusual quiet that hung over their heads. If they recalled correctly, last time they'd been here – or rather tried to get here – the island had been swarming with Singetails led by Flyers and Hunters on the ground to defend the camp. But now, it was almost like Krogan and Viggo had let their guard down… And as Astrid gazed around suspiciously, she decided she didn't like one bit of it.

"Astrid, this is crazy," whispered Snotlout, falling back to walk alongside the shieldmaiden who glared around. "I know Hiccup's been acting weird last time we saw him, but he's not mad enough to come out here on his own."

"That's the thing, Snotlout," she whispered back over her shoulder, never leaving her eyes from the trees ahead of them. "He's not alone."

"Right. Toothless." He rolled his eyes, looking annoyed.

Astrid ignored him and focused ahead. Suddenly, from the bushes ahead of the group, a large and dark figure moved, ruffling the leaves loudly, low growls echoing back at them. Every Rider froze, standing their ground while pulling out their weapons, ready to fight off any threat that dared stand in their way. But as toxic green eyes flashed from the darkness, Astrid could only suppress relief with a twist of worry.

"Hey, it's Too—!" Astrid slammed her hand on Tuffnut's mouth before his shout skywrote to the Hunters and Flyers from the nearby camp their present location.

Astrid returned her attention on where Toothless had been standing only to land eyes on complete darkness as if he'd only just been a hallucination from her already troubled thoughts. But Tuffnut's shout confirmed it wasn't just her mind playing games. She'd been right. Hiccup w _as_ on this island.

Gingerly, she approached the spot where the Night Fury had been standing and followed the trail of broken twigs. The other Riders kept their distances; their dragons close by their sides in case anything bad should happen.

"Toothless?" she whispered, her blue eyes wide in the darkness of night, the distant calls of insects filling the uneasy silence. She could feel the tension swallowing her up, her heart pumping hard in her chest. She took another step forward, and before she knew it, a figure landed on her from above and Astrid collapsed on the ground.

Out of reflex, the wielded her axe and swung the blade to her attacker, managing to throw them off and regain her footing. But as she pushed her bangs away from her eyes and readied her weapon, she stared at the figure with wide eyes. Metal skirt, a hood over her head and a crafted double-headed battle-ax in hand.

"Heather?"

* * *

 **Whooo! Omg, you didn't see that one coming, did ya? I'm just kidding, the whole world but the Riders knew.**

 **Now, as for the lack of updates. Thing was, I didn't write the next chapters until like a week and a half ago... And now the story took a twist I didn't expect and now I gotta figure out how I'm gonna get these muttonheads out of there. And it's not as easy as it looks. So, be patient. I actually got up to chapter 17 already written down so you guys can feast on those while I work the end of this story.**

 **Rain out!**


	14. Chapter 14

"What are you doing here?" asked Astrid rather harshly in attempt to keep her voice down.

"Me?" asked Heather, swinging her weapon shut and placing a hand over her chest. "You guys were supposed to stay at the Edge."

"Yeah, until I figured out what Hiccup had in mind," she replied, widening her arms aggressively. She stared at Heather who stared back, the knowledge she might never come to comprehend flashing brightly in her emerald-green eyes. Astrid blinked once, trying to sort this whole mess out. Such as how was Heather here. Unless… "Wait, you knew?"

Heather didn't say a word, holding her ground. Of course, she'd known what Hiccup had been up to since the beginning. She had been where he stands right now. But Astrid refused to take it in so calmly.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked, disbelieving that she too had chosen to head into enemy territory to rescue Hiccup by herself. "This is a suicide mission!"

"Not for me," said Heather, narrowing her eyes. She gazed at the other Riders standing a short distance away, surprised by their friend's sudden appearance as well. "You guys need to head back to the Edge. I can handle this."

"No, you can't," declared Astrid, sheathing her weapon to her back while holding her friend's gaze challengingly. "We're a team. Just give us the update."

Heather stared at her tensely for a couple of seconds, eyeing her up and down until she let her pose rest and do the same as Astrid with her own weapon. She sighed, switching her attention from the remaining Riders to Astrid.

"Since I found Toothless here, this confirms Hiccup is on the island," stated Heather, bringing her hands to her hips. "He was caged."

"So this would suggest that Hiccup is as well," said Astrid, searching the ground for clues. "Presumably in a dungeon."

"Yes, except there's barely any guards at the entrance," noted Heather, shrugging. "It just doesn't make sense. Once you've captured your greatest enemy, you'll want to keep them maximum secured…"

"This is not like Viggo or Krogan to leave this place so defenseless…" said Astrid, holding Heather's gaze, sharing the same dreadful feeling. Something felt wrong about this. And neither of them liked it. Even less when the dragons started growling warningly and the Riders flashed their attention above.

"Clever girls," came a deep and all too familiar voice that sent shivers down their spines.

Astrid watched wide-eyed as the red titan Singetail descended from above to land in front of them, a couple more sneaking out from the thick woods to block any exit. The Dragon Riders and the single Berserker regrouped in the center, drawing their weapons in case any of the Flyers decided to make a move. Their dragons held their ground as well, baring their teeth at the highly dangerous dragons snapping at them to stay put.

"Krogan," growled Astrid hatefully, holding tight to her axe's handle.

"Astrid, we meet again," said Krogan, pulling on his dragon's chains to come to a stop once on the ground. His dark eyes shifted to Heather, his expression all too cheerful. "And with Miss Heather! Is it my birthday?"

"Cut the yak dung, Krogan," called Heather, taking a step forward, her weapon drawn threateningly. "Where's Hiccup and what are you planning to do with him?" As menacing as Heather's demand sounded, the man standing on the titan dragon didn't seem the least bit afraid of the young warrior.

"Oh, I'm sure your _ruthless_ leader will tell you all about it when you join him in the Halls of Valhalla." Krogan chuckled darkly, making Astrid weak for a second as she recorded the Flyer's words. If Hiccup was dead…

Shaking her head, she chased those thoughts away but allowed the new rage to swallow her up, giving her the courage to run at the Flyer and swing her axe at him. Her battle cry filled the air with only the man's smug smile reflecting in the raging fire in her blue eyes. Unfortunately, before she could ever reach him and give him a taste of his own blood, two guards slammed her to the ground, knocking her axe out of her hand. Stomach down on the ground, she struggled restlessly despite her arms tucked behind her back. She glared up at Krogan, groaning at the pain in her shoulders from her arms getting roughly pulled back, leaving her defenseless.

"Don't make this harder on yourself, lass. This will all be over soon," said Krogan, strangely calm but still making Astrid heart sink if it could sink deeper than it already had. "Be thankful I'm giving you a quick and painless death, unlike your leader..."

At the mention of Hiccup once again, she fought against the guards, throwing her head backward and managing to strike one of them in the face. That allowed her to get back up but not for long. More guards rushed in to help, pinning the wild Dragon Rider with all their strength like a dragon trying to fight chains.

"Where's Hiccup?! What did you do to him?!" she shouted despite the weight pressing down on her, glaring up at the Flyer. She promised herself he'd pay for this. All of it.

"Guards," called Krogan, pulling on the chains of his Singetail. "Get rid of them."

Toothless lowered himself to the ground, growling warningly at the Singetails surrounding them with his eyes narrowed to slits. The other dragons did the same, baring their teeth. But despite their roars, the Singetails still attacked. Yet, before the first one could fire down at them, Toothless fired a swift plasma blast, knocking down the first Singetail that had rose up in the air to blast them. The dragon roared in agony at the new wound, throwing the Flyer off. It came crashing down at them and Toothless' eyes widened down at Astrid still trying to fight off the men keeping her pinned down.

The Night Fury sprang to her and with a lash of his tail; he knocked off the guards from the young shieldmaiden and threw himself over her as the larger dragon crashed down upon him. Toothless roared at the pain from his back as the Singetail's sharp spines dug in his skin. But it was quickly over as the dragon rolled off him, lifeless. Toothless knew his rider wouldn't've approved of this, but drastic times called for drastic measures. And this was one of them.

The other dragons shielded their own riders from the flames of the Singetails and fired back when they were out.

Krogan hovered above the scene, snarling in annoyance that the Riders weren't dead already. He tugged harshly on the heavy chains and the red Singetail prepared its fire targeted down on the group below. Whether his men went down with the enemy or not, he didn't care. All he cared about was getting the Dragon Riders out of his way, one way or the other. He didn't care how many sacrifices he'd have to make.

A blue of silver suddenly flashed by and Windshear appeared through the trees, swooping by to pick her rider and take her out of this crossfire. Heather grabbed on to a handle of her saddle, her trusty axe in the other hand while climbing to the sky. She circled around the red titan Singetail and before Krogan could react, she jumped off her Razorwhip and down on the titan's back. She readied her weapon, positioning herself for battle as Krogan turned around and chuckled, pulling his own heavy axe from his back.

There was no conversation and Heather yelled her battle-cry, running at him while he blocked her blow, sending her backward. She gasped and he smiled. Heather narrowed her eyes and jumped, twisting in midair and delivering him a kick in the face he so richly deserved. He stumbled backward and she took the opportunity to swing her blades only to hit his metal armbands, causing zero damage. Krogan threw her axe away with a swift move of his arm and plunged his free fist in her gut, preventing any entry of air in her lungs for a moment before she watched wide-eyed the heavy axe come down which she avoided by ducking fast. She slammed her narrow fist in his throat. The man gasped and clutched to his throat painfully, groaning frustratingly, his dark eyes wide in shock. She didn't waste more time and kicked him once again, coming from the other side so her move wasn't too predictable and easy to avoid. There was a pause where she landed back on her feet and he touched his cheek, looking down at the blood on the tip of his fingers.

"All that for a drop of blood?" he said, breathing heavily before straightening up again and turning back around to her while swinging his blade. "You'll have to do better than that."

Heather held her ground and prepared for his counterattack, blocking his first, second and third blow of his much heavier weapon. It slammed against her thin handles and despite the razor-sharp blades of her crafted axe made from her Razorwhip's shed scales, they were still fragile enough and Heather knew they were no match for this thick blade. She groaned, drawing back as she tried blocking every single blow. A powerful strike of Krogan's weapon slammed down against her handle and broke her weapon in two pieces which plunged down to the ground below. She watched the pieces fall with wide eyes and returned to Krogan only to be grabbed by the throat and lifted in the air, high from the surface of the earth.

She kicked her feet and slammed her fists against his arm but the effort was in vain as he held her over the side of the titan Singetail who'd been waiting for its next orders, hovering in place patiently.

Heather groaned, fighting for breath. Her eyes locked with Krogan's and the Flyer only smiled pitifully, angling his head to the side.

"You have my respect, Heather," he said calmly but Heather wasn't reassured. She watched fearfully as he drew back his axe and with a swift swing of the blade, she felt her stomach burn. Next thing she knew, she was falling in the empty with nothing to prevent her fall.

It was as if time had slowed down. The shouts were no more than distant echoes underwater while the pain in her middle tortured her like a thousand daggers cutting in her flesh. A flash of silver caught her eye, grabbing her form just in time before she hit the ground, bringing her to a gentle landing. The concerned growls of her dragon and the shouts of Astrid were the only sounds as she stared up at the sky, feeling the life drain out of her like a shattered hourglass.

* * *

 **Was that a better chapter than the last one? I hope so. I had so much fun writing Heather!whump based off Tony and Thanos' close-combat (if you've seen Infinity War). Who else here's also a Marvel fan? Let's talk about that.**

 **Well, see you next chapter!**

 **Rain out!**


	15. Chapter 15

Astrid had managed to knock out a good number of soldiers alongside Toothless after Windshear had swooped in and grabbed her rider to go battle Krogan on the back of the Titan Singetail. She had trusted her friend completely to take care of the Flyer, knowing her skills were plenty good enough to fight the man close-combat. But what happened next had never been in a million years in Astrid prediction. She'd caught the moment when Krogan grabbed her by the throat and with a swift swing of his axe, sliced her middle open. She'd watched, frozen on the spot as he dropped her, letting her fall to her death.

Thankfully, Windshear had been quick enough to prevent that kind of tragedy and swooped by just in time to slow her fall. Astrid didn't waste another second and ran as fast as her two legs could carry her until she collapsed next to her friend. She'd seen many injuries throughout the war against the dragons during her early teen years and this wound reminded her of just that. Blood spilled from her stomach, allowing a small pool of warm, sticky liquid to slowly grow underneath her.

"Heather! Heather, stay with me!" she cried out, trying to stop the bleeding with her bare hands. But she knew it was useless. If there was any hope for Heather to survive, she needed to wrap a cloth or something similar around the wound until a proper healer could deal with her.

Her eyes darted around, checking for what she could use. She hadn't thought of bringing any healing supplies on this mission which she now found very stupid of her. She'd been in such a rush to get Hiccup out of here. And they hadn't even found him yet. She looked down at herself and immediately grabbed one of her two daggers from her back. Without a moment's hesitation, she sliced the bottom of her shirt and ripped the rest off, leaving only the part to cover her breasts. She stretched the fabric and wrapped it tightly around her friend's waist, making her wince in pain.

"Go… get… Hiccup…" whispered Heather, a sudden look of exhaustion on her pale face.

"No, I can't leave you like this." Astrid shook her head firmly, working on securing the cloth on the wound until someone with the right equipment could do a better job. "I'm not letting you die. You hear me?"

"Astrid," she breathed slowly, her hands stained with her own blood. "You don't have to worry about me… If there's one thing I'm good at… it's surviving…"

Astrid tightened the whole things and helped Heather on her feet. The young Berserker held her stomach tightly, her face covered with pain.

"Fishlegs!" called out Astrid, cupping her mouth with one hand in direction of the remaining Riders. She heard a couple of grunts and men fall to the ground before Fishlegs appeared riding Meatlug, landing next to her.

"Oh Odin…" he managed, shaking. His eyes locked on Heather's bloodstained middle, wincing and Astrid wondered if he might pass out and be any use to her at all.

"Fishlegs, you need to take her back somewhere safe," she informed, dragging the Rider's troubled gaze on her. "You need to take her to Berserker Island. Her tribe will take care of her."

"Yes, yes, okay," he said rapidly before delicately taking her from Astrid's arms, shoving her on the saddle in front of him.

Astrid placed a hand on Heather's arm, bringing her attention to her despite her sleepy expression.

"Promise me you'll make it through," she said, tears clouding her vision. She thought back of the last few days and how Hiccup was still out there on Dragon Hunter Island, probably dying if he wasn't already dead based on Krogan's words. "I can't lose two friends today."

Heather held her gaze and breathed loudly. But despite her condition, she still held out her arm and Astrid didn't hesitate to bump the exterior of her own leather-wrapped arm against her metal armed one. And with that, Astrid backed away and ordered with a nod at Fishlegs to take off.

Astrid watched them take to the sky, trusting Fishlegs and Meatlug to take good care of their friend. When they were out of sight, disappearing in the growing light of dawn, Astrid twisted around and took hold of her axe she had dropped before running to Heather, letting the heavy blade trace in the dirt before she lifted it up close to her, her eyes filled with rage as she stared straight ahead at the entrance of the underground dungeon. Embers floated around her, lighting up her blood-stained hands, the small cut on her stomach from her dagger when she'd torn off part of her shirt and the smoke darkening her skin tone.

She stared straight ahead, exiting the forest and into plain sight where soldiers came running at her, weapons raised over their heads. But Astrid didn't flinch a second and swung her axe, knocking more than one out in less than a two seconds.

Thunder rumbled around, the pale line of dawn turning darker from the thick cover of the clouds promising heavy rain. Its roar seemed to rage for the fire burning the trees where Snotlout and the twins took care of the Singetails and their Flyers. As for Krogan and his titan, Astrid hadn't seen where the leader had disappeared to after he'd taken care of Heather, leaving her for dead. Just the thought made Astrid pace faster for the entrance of the underground tunnel and she was in in a very short amount of time, a trail of unconscious or even dead Hunters and Flyers left behind her.

It was strangely quiet inside, the only sound being the occasional crack of the torches hung up on the walls. Her footsteps slowed down, echoed off the walls, their color warm and welcoming. But one look at the iron bars and she gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes to see if she could find Hiccup. She started jogging, checking every cell only to find them either empty or locking miserable dragons. The sight disgusted her and she wanted more than anything to set those poor dragons free. But her mission right now was to find Hiccup alive. If he still was…

The dreadful feeling overwhelmed her and Astrid stopped mid-track, the inhuman rage wearing off to be replaced by fear as she gazed around, breathing heavily. She was about to think Krogan had already disposed of him, throwing her betrothed's dead body away into the depths of the ocean until an all too familiar repetitive _click!_ had her head shoot up. Her ears attentive for the noise, she held her breath, eyes darting to find its source.

There it was again. _Click!_

It wasn't as rapid as she remembered it but Astrid knew it was Hiccup's prosthetic hitting the rocky ground. Relieved but anxious at the same time, she continued jogging, searching for its source. Her heart beat fast in her chest, threatening to burst through.

Hiccup was alive!

But her joyful thoughts were quickly gone south when she turned a corner and froze, standing face to face with Viggo Grimborn.


	16. Chapter 16

**Quicker update! Hope you like this chapter, I loved writing this one.**

* * *

Astrid didn't have the time to hesitate and threw her axe at the Hunter, only for the man to duck right in time for the thick and heavy blade to sink into the rock wall.

"You!" she shouted, throwing herself at him, her fists missing him every time as he managed to avoid her again, never attempting to defend himself by throwing a fist back.

Frustrated, she twisted around and grabbed her weapon, pulling it out of the wall. She swung it at him, missing him by an inch over the head. Despite the shouts of protest she knew belonged to Hiccup, she didn't wait to ask for his opinion and kept on trying to hit the Dragon Hunter. She was surprised he didn't have a scratch yet or hadn't pulled out his sword to take her on.

"Astrid, stop!" shouted Hiccup, reaching out a hand at her but he knew she couldn't hear him. Frowning, he put on a discontent mask and threw himself at her, hoping in the process he wouldn't get chopped by her blade.

Throwing in all his weight, he brought her down much like when she'd tried to swing the same axe at Toothless the first time she'd met him and pinned her there, sending the weapon sliding out of her reach.

"Hiccup!" she said, clearly shocked. She pulled herself back to her feet, helping him up as well. "What are you doing?" She glared in direction of Viggo, placing herself between the Hunter and her leader fearlessly.

"Don't," said Hiccup from behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She cast a look at him, raising an eyebrow. "He's with us."

"Excuse me?"

"It's true, my dear Astrid," said Viggo, reaching a hand to place over his heart, daring to come closer. "I'm only trying to help."

"Is that so?" She glared dangerously at him and if looks could kill, Viggo Grimborn would be nothing more than a pile of ashes from the deadly fire burning in her angry blue eye.

"You can trust me on that," replied the Hunter, holding her gaze challengingly.

"Funny. Last time I trusted you, you forced me to make a decision that put my boyfriend in this mess," she declared, clearly accusing him for this whole situation they were all so well entangled in.

But Viggo didn't share her accusation and a smile pulled in the corner of his mouth like a string pulling on the skin. "Boyfriend, huh?" he mocked. "Time for a little status update? You didn't forget me now, did you?"

"Shut up, Viggo." Astrid didn't have time for his mocking and turned around to face Hiccup who looked even worse than Heather if she could say so herself. "I'm getting Hiccup out of here, with or without your help."

"Duly noted," replied Viggo, nodding curtly.

"Astrid, I'm fine," said Hiccup as she came by his side to check on him, cupping his cheek with unmasked worry in her face. She gave him a dishonest smile even though she was relieved her occasional visions of him dead were nothing more than unrealistic ideas born from Krogan's manipulative words.

"Let's just get out of here," she said quietly, walking past him and about to take the lead when shadows stretched on the walls, making them all three freeze in place.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," said Krogan, leading a couple of soldiers. He still had his heavy axe in hand, the one that had wounded Heather. Astrid tightened her hand around the handle of her axe she'd just picked up off the ground.

"Let them go, Krogan," said Viggo from behind the Riders, his voice deep and commanding as he stepped in front them as if to protect them.

"Well, well, well… Viggo," said Krogan, also approaching a little closer but keeping a fine distance between them. "Treachery is so not your color. I expected much more coming from you."

"Likewise," said Viggo, his eyes taking a dark shade. "What you're doing is inhuman."

"What does it matter in the end?" asked Krogan, widening his arms.

"It's everything, Krogan," continued Viggo, feeling like an adult trying to make a child understand why what he's doing is not okay. "People don't respect you. They fear you. And there's a big difference right there."

"Not to me." Krogan turned around slowly, giving his axe to one of his Flyers. "But you know the difference between you and me that I do see?"

Viggo held the man's stare, gritting his teeth. "And what's that?" he asked, dreading the Flyer's answer as he pulled out a crossbow and pointed it right at him, his smug grin fading.

"I don't _care_ ," he replied slowly. And then he pulled on the trigger and everything happened too fast for anyone to react.

The sharp point of the stick plunged in Viggo's chest, causing him to stagger backward and lose his balance, sending him on the hard floor of the tunnel.

"Viggo!" shouted Hiccup, rushing to the Hunter's side and collapsing next to his bleeding form. "No, no, no! This can't be happening!" He grabbed the man's surprisingly heavy upper body and tried to help him up but only fell back down to his knees, exhausted. He'd just suffered a great deal of pain himself but Hiccup couldn't think of his condition as he examined the arrow stuck in the body, preventing more blood from rushing out. The heir returned his eyes on Krogan towering before them with mocking eyes, a smug smile printed on his lips. He locked eyes with Hiccup, emerald-green eyes sending flames up at the Flyer.

Astrid slowly recovered from her state of shock, surprised by what had just happened. She'd been aware Viggo and Krogan had never gotten quite along, but she never imaged it would lead to this very moment. She felt like she should've been glad Viggo was shot down. It was one less enemy to worry about. But the way Hiccup had called his name when he'd collapsed only send her the message that Viggo was indeed one of their own now even if she would never come to truly trust him.

Furious, she tightened her grip on the handle of her axe until her knuckles turned white, gritting her teeth angrily. Her blue eyes stared up at the Flyer, and even though there were a lot of guards behind him to back him up, she rushed forward with her weapon raised. It didn't take more than a split second for Krogan to react and he raised the crossbow to block her attack, giving him enough time to reach back and grab his axe from his man. Throwing the crossbow to the ground, he swung his formal weapon and shoved her backward, frowning annoyingly.

"Is this dance of ours ever going to end, Astrid?" asked Krogan as the young shieldmaiden recovered her balance and positioned herself defensively. "Not that you aren't a fabulous dancer…"

"Save your breath," she replied, yelling her battle cry before charging once again, slamming her blade against her adversary aggressively, sending sparkles flying.

Hiccup watched the scene unfold before his eyes and decided this would be a good time to try and get out of here while Krogan was distracted.

"Come on, Viggo. Help me out here," he said, grabbing the downed Hunter beneath his arms and dragging him away from the combat.

"You don't have to do this, Hiccup…" came Viggo's hoarse voice. Hiccup dragged him against the hard floor some more before laying him against the rocky wall where he could rest a little as well. "You need to go. Time is of the essence…"

"No. I'm not leaving you here," said Hiccup firmly, placing a hand on the man's spiky shoulder pad. He let his eyes trail down on the stick coming out of his chest, the dark liquid still managing to escape the wound. He didn't dare touch it, afraid he might worsen things. "We need to take care of that wound."

"Don't bother," continued Viggo, reaching his hand on the heir's bare shoulder and shoving him away slightly. "This is it for me… The end of the game." He coughed dryly, a trace of blood staining his bottom lips as he laid back against the wall, letting his eyelids slide shut before blinking again, looking straight at Hiccup who feared the end for this man who had challenged him time and time again. But in the end, Viggo was a good man. And Hiccup saw that. He refused to let that go to waste.

"No. This isn't over yet," denied Hiccup, reaching to help him up again. He managed to finally help him find his footing and the duo worked their way for the exit. As much as it also pained Hiccup to know Astrid was back there fighting Krogan on her own, he knew whatever would happen next, that she was smart enough to know what to do.

"Why?" asked Viggo, letting the boy wrap his arm around his shoulders for support. "Why are you doing this at all? I've done nothing but be a pain in your neck…"

"Well, if you must know," replied Hiccup, his eyes darting from tunnel after tunnel, trying to figure out the way out. "If I don't save you, that wouldn't make me any better than you." They came across a few knocked out guards and Hiccup figured it must be from Astrid's handy work when she came in, which would mean they were on the right path. "And like you said, if I did leave you to die, the game would _end_ here. And what fun would _that_ be?"

Despite Viggo's condition, the Hunter allowed a smirk to cross his lips as he looked up at the boy focusing on getting them out of here.


	17. Chapter 17

The longer the walking half stumbling, the harder it was to breathe.

Hiccup struggled to keep Viggo from falling. He looked over his shoulder to see if anyone had followed them till here and noticed the trail of droplets of blood staining the rocky floor. That brought his attention back on Viggo's injury and Hiccup winced at the arrow still sticking out of his chest. Out of all the things he'd seen, this was on his top ten of most disturbing things. Every muscle hurt like he was burning alive, wishing he was back on Dragon's Edge in his warm bed in his hut with Toothless by his side. But that couldn't happen right now. No. Because like the genius that he was, he allowed his stupidity to take over and drag him and his friends into this mess.

He fought some more to keep them both moving toward the exit right up ahead, the pale light of morning pouring in the tunnels. Even though he could smell the humidity in the air suggesting a storm, Hiccup would be glad to see the horizon line between ocean and sky. But to do so, he would have to keep on going. But his legs were killing him and he didn't know how much further he could go. Viggo sure was of no help right now, weighing him down like the anchor of a ship. The man was growing as tired as he was, barely able to put one foot in front of another. It only took a cursed rock sticking out from the floor to make Hiccup lose his balance and send them both to the ground.

He hit the hard surface with a gasp, barely able to slow down his fall. Viggo remained unmoving, lying on his side. This sure was no help to his current condition. But Hiccup could barely find the strength to pull himself up, let alone save Viggo in the process. But the distant shouts of men from where they'd come from sent some more adrenaline running through his veins and Hiccup regained his footing with more effort than he'd ever needed to get up. He pulled the Hunter back up again, wrapping Viggo's arms around his neck and dragged him once more. His green eyes focused right ahead, trying not to let the adrenaline born of panic let his knees shiver and fail him again.

The sky was pale grey, the distant rumbling of thunder in the distance proving he'd been right about a storm. Out of breath, Hiccup put the Dragon Hunter down again since there were no guards to be seen. He breathed hard, looking up at the sky with exhausted eyes. At least they'd made it this far – out of those suffocating tunnels. He just hoped Astrid was okay.

Suddenly, two dragons descended from above and blocked the exit from the tunnels, facing Hiccup. They snarled, their eyes narrowed until they finally recognized their leader and allowed themselves to relax a little.

"Hey, Hiccup!" called Tuffnut, leaning to the side of his half of the Zippleback, waving with way too joyous smile on his face. "How's it hanging?"

"Not the time, Tuff," said Hiccup, letting his bare shoulders drop, his skin dirtier than ever.

"Wow, what happened to you?" asked Snotlout, frowning down at him. "You look like you got beaten up and dragged a corpse along with you."

"Good guess, Snotlout," replied Hiccup, moving aside to show Viggo's form.

"Ew!" shouted Snotlout, leaning backward, grasping at his Nightmare's twisted horns. "Is he dead?"

"Well, he will be soon if we don't do something about it," said Hiccup seriously, the shouts of men coming closer. A wave of exhaustion hit him and he had to lean his hands on his knees, taking a moment to catch his breath. "Snotlout, take him back somewhere safe, Berserker Island if necessary."

"What, he's on our side now?" asked the Nightmare rider, looking outrageous. "You can't toy around like that with my emotions, Hiccup! I'm too fragile…"

"Take him back, please!" ordered Hiccup, his voice still incredibly strong and commanding despite his condition.

"Fine," said Snotlout, rolling his eyes.

Hiccup reached Viggo's side. The man wasn't gone yet, but it wouldn't take much longer for him to pass out. The shouts came closer and Hiccup helped Snotlout shove him on the back on the Monstrous Nightmare who stood still, low on the ground.

"How is he so heavy?" grunted Snotlout, pushing the dead weight up.

"Careful with the arrow," said Hiccup, cautious not to worsen the wound. Krogan had already done enough as it was. "We don't want it to dig any deeper."

Once he was secure, Snotlout hopped on the dragon's head and turned to his leader. Then panic-stricken, his eyes darted passed him and he shouted, "Hiccup! Look out!"

Hiccup swirled around, wide-eyed to see Krogan and his men pouring out of the tunnel exit.

"Go! Go! Go!" He turned back around and hurried Snotlout to take Viggo away from this island. The twins took to the sky as well, fleeing the danger without a moment of hesitation, leaving Hiccup vulnerable on the ground as the enemy came rushing at him.

Both dragons were up in the air in an instant, flying out of the range of arrows. And as if Hiccup had been the target all along, a cold electric sensation shot through him and he felt his back curve inward. His entire body tensed up in pain, the warm blood sliding down the pale skin of his bare back. And as if to bow down one last time in surrender, he fell to his knees, the desperate shouts of a feminine voice ringing to his ears. And then after two more seconds, he collapsed on his chest, the side of his face scraping the ground. If breathing back there had been difficult, then he didn't know what word to use for this. He lied there, frozen, his eyes fighting to stay open. But it was no use. Black dots danced on the edges of his vision and unable to keep on fighting the wave of blackness, he let the tide swallow him up and leave him dead to the world.

Astrid kicked and punched Krogan who held her in place, an arm wrapped around her neck, keeping her close. But it was no use for she was locked there, her efforts completely in vain. She was exhausted, unable to fight no more as well. Her axe was broken, her skin bleeding. She was defeated. She threw one last punch at the Flyer's arm, before going limp.

"You're… you're not gonna get away with this…" she managed to say, her eyelids very heavy.

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong," said Krogan, looking down at her before returning his attention on the downed leader of the Dragon Riders lying before him, an arrow straight through the body. "I already have."


	18. Chapter 18

Rain poured down from the dark and intimidating sky, casting a gloomy look on the island of Berserk. Soldiers roamed the streets, minding their own business despite the water descending down on them as if Thor had knocked over a bucket full of it. It was a normal stormy day for them. But that didn't apply to everyone on the island.

Inside the healer's hut lay Heather on a bed, stripped from her impenetrable armor in order to encourage her recovery. Dagur had been by her side from the moment she arrived, sitting by his little sister's bed. He hadn't realized he'd loved her so much until the day he watched her lay almost dead with blood-stained bandages wrapped around her stomach. Even though he knew he should be filled with anger to avenge Heather – to slice that deranged Flyer's head clean off his shoulders, Dagur just couldn't suppress this feeling and was rather too filled with sadness and regret as he stared at Heather's lifeless expression, watching her small chest rise and fall as she slowly breathed, fearing the next one might be her last every single time.

The door of the hut suddenly swung open to reveal the shadow of one of his soldiers.

"Sir, another Dragon Rider arrived on the island," informed the man, gesturing at the exterior. "They hold another wounded. But I think you should—"

"Bring them in immediately," answer Dagur without hesitation, his voice steady despite the crisis.

"But sir, you should know," continued the soldier as his chief straightened up and placed Heather's fragile hand back on her side. "The wounded is Viggo Grimborn."

Dagur's head snapped right his way the moment he heard the name, his face expressionless. He stared at the man for some time before he blinked away the questions storming in his mind. The Dragon Riders wouldn't save the enemy, now, would they? Yet, he and Hiccup were once enemies… But what could motivate the Riders to help this Hunter? There couldn't be margin to save Grimborn, could there?

The questions continued as he pushed the man aside and walked out the hut and into the rain, marching toward the Monstrous Nightmare standing amongst the small crowd ready to help out. The soldier wasn't lying. Viggo Grimborn was here and wounded, brought to his island by the Monstrous Nightmare rider, Snotlout. Or Snothat as he liked to call him. But right now there was no place for games. This was a serious matter.

He watched as the healer's helpers placed him on a plank and transported the man into the hut for treatment. Dagur noticed the arrow sticking out of the Hunter's chest right away as well as the blood staining the black leather clothing the man.

"Don't let him die," was the first thing Snotlout said as he came down his dragon that was clearly exhausted from its beeline race from Dragon Hunter Island to here. Fishlegs was by Hookfang's side in a second, giving him the herbs he needed to recover more quickly. "Orders from Hiccup."

"Where's Hiccup? And why is Grimborn on my island?" demanded Dagur harshly after seeing the damage done to Viggo Grimborn. The tone in the Berserker chief's voice made Snotlout shrink a little as he looked around, trying to find a way to explain.

"Hiccup ordered me to bring him here. I-I don't know what happened back there. Last I saw Flyers were running out of the cave, surrounding him. I was up in the air before I could see what was happening," he explained after swallowing loudly.

"How many of you are still on that island?" asked Dagur almost immediately after Snotlout had answered.

"Not much," he replied, holding Dagur's gaze for a while. They shared the same dreadful feeling that this had already gone too far. Silence hung in the air, only the splashes of the droplets hitting the stony surface of the island to break it.

Dagur paced around, running his hands through his soaked hair. There wasn't much they could do. If the Dragon Riders had failed against the Hunters and Flyers, how could he be of any help? He'd fought Hiccup and his Riders time and time again and never quite won a battle. So this right now was pretty terrifying to him even though he'd never come to admit it.

"Incoming dragons!" called a man, alerting everyone standing close to him. Dagur and Snotlout turned their head in the direction he was pointing to see a Zippleback, a Deadly Nadder, a Razorwhip and a Night Fury coming in hot. Except for the double-headed dragon, the rest of the dragons were riderless and that was more alarming than anything.

"Incoming!" yelled Tuffnut's unmistakable voice as he and Ruffnut came down on their Zippleback, flying clumsily from exhaustion just like Hookfang.

The Berserkers made room just in time for the dragons to crash-land, sending a small wave around from the little accumulation of water on the stone surface. Stormfly flapped her wings tiredly as she put Toothless down. She came to land before accidentally tripping over her own talons and came crashing down hard against the ground. Windshear just straight crashed and stayed unmoving, deciding to nap right there in the rain.

"What happened?!" asked Fishlegs, rushing to the twins' side for answers.

"Krogan, that's what happened," replied Tuffnut, pushing his helmet up from his eyes from where he laid on the ground. Fishlegs' colors seemed to drain as he tried to dissimulate what that meant.

"I can't believe that guy!" said Ruffnut, pushing the hard ground only to hurt her hand. "We were on the brink of victory! No delicious pie for us tonight. What a shame..."

"Woah, woah, woah... Guys. Where are Hiccup and Astrid?" asked Fishlegs, concern clear in his tone. "Please don't tell me they have them."

There was a pause where the twins exchanged a look before returning to Fishlegs. Words were needless at that point. He had the answer to his question.

"Oh, this is bad..." Fishlegs' unmasked worry brought all the attention on him as he paced around, trying to figure out what to do next. "What are we gonna do now? We have no leader! No second-in-command!"

"We need to do something and fast," said Snotlout, slamming his fist into his palm.

"But how are we gonna get them out of this mess?" said Fishlegs, looking at every Rider and Berserker individually. "Our smartest decision-makers are captured. We don't have a clue what to do right now!"

"I'm sure we can think of something…" said Ruffnut, searching the ground for ideas. "Oh, wait. No, we can't."

"Yeah, we're the dumb ones," said Tuffnut after a quick look to his sister to confirm her thought. "Well, at least she is." He quickly earned a fist to the shoulder which had him yelp in pain and grunt while glaring at her.

"No, Fishlegs is right," said Snotlout, standing closer to Fishlegs, a dark look shadowing his face. "Don't you understand? We're nothing without Hiccup and Astrid."

The remaining Dragon Riders looked at each other as the word sunk in, hitting them all right down to their core.

"I mean, look at us," continued Snotlout, gesturing at them all. "We're no heroes. We can't even make up a plan to save our leader and second-in-command. What does that make us, huh? Without another Hiccup, our leader's as good as dead. Who knows? He probably even is by now."

"What, are you out of your mind?" demanded Fishlegs almost instantly, seeming quite shocked by Snotlout's comment.

"Hey, calm down, all of you," said Dagur, surprisingly calm facing this kind of issue. The Riders looked his way, clearly not in the mood to get lectured. But they did need inspiration.

"Aren't you supposed to be a little more deranged than this right now?" asked Snotlout aggressively, clearly meaning that as an insult to the Berserker chief. "Where's the Dagur who used to try to kill us every week, huh? We could use that guy right now."

"No," was Dagur's answer, looking at Snotlout straight in the eyes but the short Viking didn't flinch and rather just narrowed his pale eyes. "What you need is someone smart. Someone who can foresee all the possibilities and take advantage of it all."

"Someone like Hiccup, yeah. But guess what? He's not here!" said Snotlout, widening his arms at the Berserker.

"You're right," replied Dagur. "He's not. And none of us have the brains to figure out a plan that'll allow us to survive this battle alive."

"So... what are you saying?" asked Tuffnut slowly, letting his shoulders drop.

Dagur didn't answer right away and took a deep breath, turning halfway around to glimpse at the inside of the healer's hut where he saw the form of the one Dragon Hunter that has bested Hiccup Haddock time and time again.

Viggo Grimborn.

* * *

 **Am I putting Viggo a little too much in the spotlight? Mhh? Doesn't matter, I love him. I haven't updated in a while, have I? I haven't been in the mood of writing lately, that's the reason. Still gotta get this story done with though. Might still take a while, I have no plan heheee... Oh well, guess this is the way this story goes.**

 **See you next time.**


	19. Chapter 19

"Viggo?" echoed Snotlout, sitting on a crate that had tumbled down from a pile stacked in the corner of the Berserker chief's council room. "Are you out of your mind?"

The room was large with a large fire pit in the middle, similar the one in the Great Hall back on Berk. The one big difference here was that there were quite a lot of spikes everywhere to show visiting tribes of they were merciless should they make the wrong decision to go against them. But the Dragon Riders knew it was just to scare. Everyone had witnessed Dagur's change of behavior in the last months. Ever since he rescued Hiccup and Toothless on that island, the Berserker hadn't been the same. But now Snotlout was wondering if his deranged side was coming back to haunt them.

"Snotlout's right, this does sound pretty risky," commented Fishlegs, toying with his hands nervously.

"Yeah, how do we know we can trust the man?" said Tuffnut, sitting on a large table looking bored while Ruffnut tried devouring a long-cooled piece of meat.

"We don't have to," said Dagur, keeping his cool facing the Riders' lack of faith. "I would never trust Grimborn, I'm not that crazy. But I do trust Hiccup. You said he's the one who ordered you to bring him here, is that right, Snothat?"

Snotlout mumbled under his breath before answering, "Yeah. But that doesn't mean—"

"If scarifying himself was worth saving Viggo Grimborn, we must trust Hiccup's judgment about the man and pray he can help us save your leader."

The room went quiet while the Riders exchanged glances, trying to find an argument that could once again debate the fact that Viggo Grimborn was evil and bad-intended. But Dagur did have a point. Hiccup wouldn't have saved the Dragon Hunter unless something happened that they didn't witness that would've changed their leader's mind. They trusted Hiccup's judgment. That's how they were still alive. But Viggo was tricky. How did they know he won't stab them in the back the moment he gets the chance while they're all facing the other way? There was no foreseeing in their current situation. They could either choose to work with Viggo Grimborn and have a chance to save Hiccup or… well; everyone knew what the other option was. Between them all, the first one was the wisest.

"Alright, let's say we choose to work with Viggo Grimborn," said Snotlout, turning to the Berserker chief once again. "What's your plan, Your Derangedness?"

"Well, that's the thing, Snothat," said Dagur. "The plan is up to him to make."

"Excuse me?"

"What? You said it yourself," he continued, gesturing at the twins and Fishlegs. "You need another Hiccup. That man is the only other Hiccup we have."

"That's a very long shot," warned Fishlegs once again, searching the ground for everything that could go wrong. Yet, what would happen if everything went right? He hoped that could be the alternative.

"It's the only one we have," said Dagur, turning to Fishlegs.

Silence filled the room once again. The choice was clear. Anyway, they only had one. And this was it.

…

Days later…

Viggo blinked at the blinding white light that seemed to focus on him alone. He reached a hand out to block it, his movement strangely slow while his ears drummed like he'd been underwater for a while. He felt uncomfortable, reaching to resolve the mystery as to why his middle was so tight and why he was so cold. He finally managed to blink away the light and find a spot in the darkness to examine his state. Bandages wrapped him up tight and Viggo gasped repetitively.

Memories flashed before his eyes. There was blood and panting. He remembered feeling so weak and vulnerable every step he took with Hiccup trying to support him, barely able to stand himself.

Hiccup.

Viggo's heart seemed to skip a beat as the flashback suddenly faded away and he returned to reality.

The air was damp and his surrounding was cold. He only had a blanket to keep him warm and even that wasn't enough. His eyes wandered around, studying the brick walls towering around him, trapping him in a small cold cell with only a small window to allow him some light.

He'd been stripped from his armor, but that didn't surprise him. At least his captors had allowed him to keep some dignity by giving him some clothes, even though they were the ones of a poor peasant down on his last legs somewhere out there.

Hiccup. Where was the boy at? Viggo couldn't clear his head of the last images he had of the young Dragon Rider before he passed out. He had to make sure he was at least okay.

A sharp but smooth sound caught his attention, dragging Viggo to the door of his cell to find Dagur sitting outside, sliding a river stone on the surface of his double-headed battle axe's blades.

"Wakey, wakey," said Dagur, examining his weapon closely before getting up from his chair, his expression showing no sign of amusement.

"Dagur," greeted Viggo, a small smile stretching to the corner of his lips as he gazed at the man who had betrayed him when they'd faced a common enemy. Hiccup. "I cannot say I'm pleased to see you again."

"Oh, you know," said Dagur, looking down at his axe. "The feeling's mutual."

"Where am I?"

"Oh, you're in my dungeon," said Dagur, all too cheerful all of a sudden. "But you won't have to be too worried about your stay here if you collaborate."

"What do you want?" demanded the Hunter, his voice showing no margin for jokes while his threatening gaze said to jump straight to the point.

"I want a lot of things, Grimborn," replied Dagur, pacing in front of the cell slowly, weapon at hand. "But right now, you're gonna tell me exactly what Krogan plans to do with Hiccup and Astrid. You're Krogan's business partner after all. You should at least know his intentions."

"I hold no partnership with this savage," replied Viggo, holding Dagur's gaze darkly as if he'd been insulted by that claim. "We have a common enemy."

"Oh, really?" said Dagur, leaning against the cold metal bars. "You're telling me Krogan shot you straight through the heart?"

"That would be close enough, yes," he said and he could tell Dagur was taken aback for a moment. Viggo allowed letting his eyes drift to the floor for a moment, letting the room be filled with silence. "Hiccup saved my life, Dagur." He met the Berserker's gaze once again, letting the chief know no lie rolled off his tongue this time. "Whatever you came here to ask me, believe me when I say returning the favor is my most humble intention."

Dagur locked eyes with the man, trying to find the traps in the Hunter's soothing promises. "How do I know you're telling the truth, Grimborn? Because I do want to trust you, you can count on that-"

"I'm telling you the truth, Dagur," replied Viggo, his eyes dark while Dagur carried on pacing in front of the small cell. "You didn't come here to just threaten me, now, did you? No man like you wastes time with this kind of situation, now, aye?"

"Watch your mouth, Grimborn," warned Dagur, closing some distance between him and his prisoner. But Viggo Grimborn wasn't in the slightest way intimated by this man. "Hiccup is out there on that island, captive of that monster and you're gonna help me and the rest of the Dragon Riders save him."

"Then why didn't you just ask?" said Viggo, a smirk stretching in the corner of his mouth as he narrowed his gaze on Dagur. "Now tell me, do you want to save your little brother or not?"

* * *

 **Hey! Guess what?! I finished High School! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ! Just wanted you to know :) :) :)**


	20. Chapter 20

Astrid's vision was blurry as she watched Hiccup's limp body being shoved over a massive armed shoulder with an arrow sticking out of his back as if he were an animal that had just been shot down. She screamed and fought her captors, struggling to be freed from the grips pinning her down on the grown. But it was useless to fight. Krogan could tell her to spare her breath from wailing the grief and even though it might be smarter to spare her strength for later use, Astrid couldn't help but cry at the loss of her betrothed.

Hiccup Haddock the Third was dead.

Krogan watched the deadweight of the Dragon Rider leader be taken away to the edge of the island with a sickening smile stretching to both corners of his mouth as if his joy was nothing to be ashamed of. The scene played out before his eyes and he savored the moment as his soldier threw away the body at sea. And even though the arrow hadn't killed the boy, the ocean would gladly take care of it.

Hiccup Haddock the Third was no more.

Rain poured down on the island as the storm raged on. Thunder rumbled above their heads and lightning stroke almost immediately. Krogan looked up at the dark clouds above him, searching for any dragon silhouette that might be waiting for the right moment to strike. But every time the sky was lit up, he could see nothing else but layers of clouds promising continuous rain. Krogan nodded in satisfaction and turned back around to face the young shieldmaiden that had quit mourning out loud and was now down on her knees, staring blankly at the muddy ground.

"There won't be any resurrection this time…" said Krogan, his voice all too soothing for Astrid. The young Viking rose her gaze slightly to meet his, her posture clearly showing she was exhausted.

"You… you _killed_ him," growled Astrid quietly, baring her teeth at the monster before her.

"A small sacrifice to end the war, don't you think?" said Krogan, looking around at the island that had slowed down to acknowledge the events that had just happened.

"This war _isn't_ over, Krogan," said Astrid warningly. "You're gonna _pay_ for that…" She choked on the last two words, tears daring to break through and splash on the ground along with the rain.

Krogan maintained eye contact with the young Rider before washing off the smug look on his face and straightening up again. "Guards, take her away," he ordered, looking down at her one last time before allowing another smile to cross his face, making her boil with rage. "And make sure she doesn't escape. Oh, don't give me that look, my dear Astrid. We're just gonna use you as bait to lure in your friends and make _sure_ this war ends… with victory by my side."

Astrid felt a burst of energy run through her body but it didn't last long enough to advantage her in escaping. She was pulled back up on her feet and forced to follow the path the two guards led.

…

The room was uncomfortably quiet. Even the little whistle of the wind through the crack of the council room doors could be heard from where the group stood all facing Viggo Grimborn sitting a safe distance away from the remaining Dragon Riders. The teens gave the man looks of distrust while Viggo maintained eye contact challengingly with a smirk stretching in the corner of his mouth every time one of them would break the constant staring. So far, the twins had lasted the longest of them all.

"Alright, so are we all just gonna stand here and just..?" said Snotlout, gesturing at the Hunter while looking at Dagur who stood next to the Riders, his arms folded over his chest comfortably.

"Shh, Snotty… you're distracting us," said Tuffnut, waving a hand at the short Viking from the table he was sitting on, side by side with his twin sister who was on the brink of cracking.

"Oh no, I can't take it," she said before being forced to blink. "Garhh!" Ruffnut rubbed her eyes thoroughly while Tuffnut threw his fist in the air, shouting, "Yes! I win!"

"Um, can we move on to the actual planning, now?" proposed Fishlegs, cowering at the back of the group while avoiding complete eye contact with the Hunter. He'd been okay with Viggo Grimborn around back on the Edge with Hiccup to deal with the man. But there was no Hiccup right now to keep the situation under control. Who knew what master plan this evil genius had rolled up his sleeve that they would never see coming? At least Hiccup was able to keep up right behind the man while they were a whole ocean behind.

"That's a brilliant idea, Mr. Ingerman," said Viggo, getting up from the bench to address the whole group. "Shall we?"

"Mhh… nope. I don't trust him," mumbled Snotlout, still staring at Viggo suspiciously.

"Come on, now, Snotlout," said Viggo, triggering a cold sensation traveling down the Rider's spine. "If we're to save your beloved leader, a little trust must be put out there, or am I wrong?"

"I hate it when he does that…" mumbled Snotlout once again, tightening his fists discreetly while staring down at the stone floor.

"Hiccup Haddock and Astrid Hofferson are on their own and possible victims of Krogan and his men," continued Viggo, looking at the rest of the group while folding his hands behind his back. "And that is bad."

"Yeah, and that's when you come in," noted Tuffnut, gesturing at him with a loose hand. "Or were you already in? Wait… it's all so confusing…"

"Krogan is a brute if you hadn't noticed," said Viggo, walking over to a wooden board with Dragon Hunter Island already drawn down on multiple thin sheets of paper. "Whatever you were used to when attacking me, forget it all."

"Yeah, I might keep a hold of it…" commented Snotlout, shrugging as he followed to the board.

Viggo pointed down at a very specific location on the sketch of his island before continuing. "This was Hiccup's last location. Dear Astrid was still inside the tunnels. Your young warrior was no match for Krogan and his men alone."

"Ha! You'd be surprised," commented Tuffnut. "I bet you've never seen Astrid shooting fire from her eyes, have you?"

"Well, even if she is a fearsome warrior, Krogan is merciless. He would not have played around for a split second," said the Hunter, making sure every Rider and Berserker understood the high stakes of this mission and the possibilities of their friends' statuses. "Now let's pretend Astrid is defeated. Krogan followed the trail of blood and reaches me, Hiccup and the rest of you that had remained on the island. The only reason for your leader to stay back on the island was the lack of time."

"So now Hiccup is facing Krogan who is armed…" continued Fishlegs, playing out the scene in his head, his eyes growing round with terror.

"Now," said Viggo, returning his hands to his back while overlooking the teens and chief. "The aftermaths are various. But two stand out most."

"Which are..?" pressed Dagur, eager to hear it out.

"If we're lucky, your friend is locked up in a cell and bait to lure us back or awaiting execution. Either way, he's still a captive of Krogan," he said, waiting for them to figure out the other alternative.

"Or..?" asked Fishlegs, not so sure he wanted to hear it out loud.

"Or, the other option, your leader was a perfect target for Krogan who had a crossbow in hand at the time and decided to end it all," he finished, looking at the reactions from the Riders and Dagur who refused to show his heart had just sunk to the very bottom of his stomach. "Now, let's not jump to conclusions."

"Oh, sure, easy for you to say, Dragon _Hunter,_ " said Snotlout, clearly outrageous with this option of turn of past events.

"Trust me, Mr. Jorgenson, it is not my wish either," said Viggo, pinning the short Viking down with a dark look of his eyes that warned him to stay down and listen. "But we have to analyze every possibility if we are to save your friends and stop Krogan from causing any more damage than he's already done. We need to take advantage of every possible outcome and foresee our enemy's next moves. Understood?"

Snotlout stayed quiet and nodded rapidly, looking away. Of course, no one wanted to accept that their leader might be dead out there. It was an unbearable thought to deal with. But if it were to be true…

Krogan had no idea what was coming his way.

* * *

 **:)**


	21. Chapter 21

_Thunder._

 _Lightning._

 _Pain._

Hiccup could barely recall the last things that had happened. Rain was pouring down on him as he ordered his teammates to flee with Viggo out of reach for Krogan. His heart had lifted up with relief but only for a split second until pain struck his back as if a lightning bolt had hit him where he stood. It was like his lungs were no longer functional. He'd choked, unable to breathe correctly. He remembered feeling so weak. His knees had given out from underneath him and he sank down before falling one last time. He hadn't even had time to taste the mud off the ground before he blacked out, filling him with a strange sensation of empty. He was not dead but he wasn't sleeping either. It was somewhere in between as if the mighty Gods were still deciding him fate.

A white flash struck his vision again, followed by the ice-cold sensation enveloping him completely, reaching down to his bones. Then darkness again. He remembered the electricity flowing through him, begging him to swim. But he'd been unresponsive.

And he slowly sank down, down, down…

He believed he had died. But reality put a twist in his fate.

Hiccup blinked his eyes open at the ceiling above him, studying the cracks in the wood allowing some bright daylight to come through. He listened to his breathing entering and exiting his lungs as he scanned the room he was in. There was no one here. Krogan wouldn't have taken the risk of saving his life, would he? Of course not… This didn't make any sense. He tested his arms and his remaining leg to see if he'd been shackled down but as he lifted his limbs individually, his mind stormed with questions such as: "Where on the face of the Earth could he possibly be?" He could hear his breathing getting quicker every passing minute and he finally found the strength to push himself up in a sitting position from the bed he'd been lied on. An uncomfortable itching struck him in the back all of the sudden and Hiccup reached an arm back there to investigate but couldn't quite reach its source.

"What in the world?" he mumbled to himself, trying to reach the middle of his back.

A door right in front of the bed suddenly cracked open, allowing the bright white light to penetrate in the room. Hiccup covered himself protectively out of instinct, cowering on himself against the bed head. Wherever he was, it could be no good. Not after everything he went through. All he knew was pain right now and he couldn't help but be scared of being tortured once again. Flashes of Krogan and Viggo burning off steam on him appeared before his eyes and Hiccup begged out loud to whoever had come in the room not to hurt him.

"Hiccup?" came a familiar feminine voice and Hiccup slowly dared peek over his arm to see the face of Mala standing beside him, a concerned look painted all over her face. "What's happened to you?"

"Mala?" Hiccup managed to say even though it came out quivering just like the rest of his damaged body.

"You're safe here. There's no need to be afraid," she said, her voice soft as she placed a hand on his bare shoulder. "Come. I brought you something to eat."

Hiccup hesitated, staring down at the small bowl of stew with a wooden spoon awaiting its use. He slowly brought down his arms from over his head and sat on the side of the bed, taking the food the leader of the Defender of the Wings tribe.

"How... did I get here?" he asked slowly, trying to find the answer himself at the same time.

"My men found you unresponsive on our beach. You looked... dead. How you haven't drowned is still a mystery... Our tribe's healer is the one who took care of your wounds," she explained, studying him from head to toe after sitting next to him on the side of the bed. "What happened out there, Hiccup? Who did this to you?"

Hiccup took a moment to gaze down at his middle covered in black and blue with a few scratches. The young Rider stared off at the ground as if replaying what he could remember. He carefully put the bowl down next to him and stayed quiet.

"I wanna help, Hiccup. Just tell me what happened," pressed Mala.

"All of this just because I accepted a meeting with Krogan…" said Hiccup, staring off blankly at the floor, his expression weary. He sighed. "Why didn't I listen to Astrid? Why don't I _ever_ listen to Astrid? All of this never would've happened if I had just—"

"You can't blame it all on yourself," cut Mala, locking her eyes with him. "I know what it's like to fail as a leader and as a defender of dragons. Trust me. But failure comes with the job. The hardest part of this mission we share is that we cannot always save every dragon and everyone."

Hiccup lifted his head at her, searching her pale green eyes.

"What?" she asked, trying to understand his reaction.

"Astrid…" he whispered, immediately getting up. "She-she's out there. He probably has her. Krogan—"

"Krogan has her?" she echoed, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I-I don't know. I don't remember what happened to anybody, I—" he said rapidly, running a hand through his hair. "I don't remember anything! I don't know what happened!"

"Easy, Hiccup," said Mala, trying to slow him down but Hiccup sped outside the small hut and rushed to the middle of the active plaza of the village. He looked around, lost, getting tossed around by passing peasants and soldiers. His world was spinning around in circles and his heart pounded hard in his chest. More images and sounds flashed rapidly in his mind. He could hear Astrid screaming frantically, Krogan chuckling close to him…

It was all too overwhelming and he pulled on his hair, trying to shut out the noises. Despite shutting his eyes tight, the flashes still appeared and even more vividly. He was losing his mind! Astrid. Viggo. Korgan…

" _Hiccup, please reconsider this…"_

Astrid's voice echoed in his mind along with so many other noises.

" _This could be our only chance at defeating them. Once and for all…"_

That was him… he had said that. What a fool he'd been…

" _Tell me, are you afraid?"_

Krogan… sitting right in front of him…

" _Don't go just yet, Hiccup…"_

Heather…

" _I'm not afraid of you…"_

His nightmares…

" _You couldn't just leave well enough alone, could you, Hiccup?"_

Viggo…

" _Why should I trust you, Viggo?"_

" _I'm trying to help you, Hiccup…"_

" _Hiccup, look out!"_

Everything came back to him. And it wasn't a good memory.


	22. Chapter 22

Hiccup held on as tight as he could to the young Gronckle he had befriended back on Caldera Cay to allow him to get to Berserker Island. The dragon was inexperienced so it made his travel a bit rough but nothing he couldn't handle after all he'd been through. The sky was grey; sleepy weather that tempted him to just drop dead and plunge down into the ice-cold ocean rocking wildly underneath the Gronckle's short wings.

He had to admit… Since the moment he'd woken up back on the home-island of the Defenders of the Wing, he'd been feeling different. He looked back at the unpleasant events that had brought him to this very moment. More images flashed in his mind, forcing him to rub his eyes with one hand in an attempt to chase the bad memories away.

What had happened… it had terrified him. Krogan wasn't just a threat to dragonkind as well as all those who learned to befriend these creatures. Krogan was more than just a menace. Gods, Hiccup couldn't even find the words! He was like… venom. Like poison running through one's veins. The chances of survival were slim. It only depended on time before it grew stronger and killed off its victim.

Hiccup shook his head, trying to clear Krogan's scarred face, but the man hunted him. Instead of reviewing what-ifs, the young Rider decided to focus ahead, ready to see an island appear on the horizon any moment now.

The moment Hiccup had been feeling the slightest better; he had taken off to Berserker Island where he knew his friends would've retreated. In case of an emergency just like this one, the Berserkers had the resources necessary for them to recharge before preparing their next attack. Well, if there was a next attack at all… With all the damage Krogan had done to him and Viggo, Hiccup couldn't imagine what his friends might've gone through. He just hoped none of his teammates had been seriously wounded. His concern for Astrid's status weighed on him like a mountain and Hiccup couldn't wait to finally arrive and confirm where she could be at. Flashes of memories told him she was still stuck on Dragon Hunter Island but he prayed she had found a way out.

"No… No worries, right?" he said aloud to himself, his eyes darting from left to right as he gazed out at the white horizon line even though those images were blurred by his worries. "I mean, she's Astrid, she… She's Astrid…"

The Gronckle gave a low growl in reply.

A small dot finally came in sight and Hiccup forced his eyelids to remain open. Having refused to take the whole treatment like Mala had suggested made him still very weak and unable to function correctly. But Hiccup had to get to Berserker Island, no matter what.

"Almost there…" he barely whispered, his vision growing more blurry by the second. The island grew bigger and Hiccup could see figures moving on its surface.

Unable to control this untrained dragon, they came in too fast and Hiccup's grip onto the Gronckle's ears wasn't strong enough, sending him crashing hard on the stone ground below.

But Hiccup barely felt anything. He'd sensed himself passing out before he'd been above the island and as he gazed up at the dull grey sky, he could see shapes appearing around him. Voices echoed distantly and the colors of the figures looked familiar… But Hiccup couldn't find the strength to focus and allowed the darkness to swallow him up once again.

…

"Sir, we have an incoming dragon!" called a Berserker soldier, peeking inside the Great Hall to warn his chief.

"What species?" demanded Dagur, rising from his chair from where he'd been staring at the Dragon Hunter map for hours with Fishlegs, trying to find a way in to save their remaining allies.

"Gronckle, I believe," replied the soldier, standing aside as his leader passed by.

"Mmh, curious," mumbled Dagur, looking up in the sky to see an incoming Gronckle indeed. "You didn't mention it had a rider."

Dagur narrowed his eyes to identify the rider but the dragon was still too far. And of course, he wasn't taking any chances - not during a time like this.

"Prepare the men." Dagur turned to the soldier, locking eyes with him. "I want some guards up around the Great Hall and healer's domain should this be a Flyer or Krogan himself."

"Yes, sir."

"What's going on?" asked Snotlout, coming from behind Dagur. The Rider narrowed his eyes at the dragon figure. "Who's that?"

"I don't know," replied Dagur, never leaving his eyes off the Gronckle. "But we're about to find out. Guards!"

The men that had been positioned raised their crossbows and aimed at the dragon getting closer and closer by the second without showing signs of slowing down. They could clearly make out a figure riding the Gronckle by now but it was too small to tell who it could be.

"Hold on…" Dagur narrowed his eyes even tighter and the figure grew bigger. He could almost hear his men placing their indexes on the trigger of their crossbows that would send arrows flying. His eyes widened in a heartbeat. "Hold your fire!"

The Gronckle was clearly not familiar with landing gently and came in hot, causing the rider on top to lose his grip and come crashing down. The sickening thud rang into Dagur's ears as he stood back and let the dragon keep flying on, leaving them with the black and blue body of Hiccup Haddock the Third.

Dagur and the other Riders didn't waste a moment to collapse next to the Dragon Rider leader lying on his back, his eyes barely opened before they rolled to the back of his head and stayed this way.

"Hiccup?" said Fishlegs, not daring to touch his leader, afraid to damage him even more.

"Is he gonna be okay?" asked Snotlout, turning to Dagur who didn't look up from his little brother.

"Not if we leave him like this," he said quietly, sighing. When he didn't move for a while, the Riders backed off and made room for the Berserker chief as he lifted their young leader off the hard ground and carried him to the healer's hut where he would be properly treated.

Hiccup's limp body made him look like deadweight as Dagur carried him across the almost deserted plaza, making the island look like it'd been grieving for the past couple days.

Viggo watched from the slit of his hut's open door, his expression completely blank as his eyes stayed locked on Hiccup Haddock's pained expression despite being dead to the world.

* * *

 **Have you guys watched 3 Below's new season? I feel like the whole show was a bit rushed which didn't make it very enjoyable to watch. So many situations that could've been so much more intense and helped build up Aja and Krel's characters! Gosh. But I still really love the kiddos :) I think I have an obsession with the main male characters. Hiccup, Jim, Krel... watching them being in pain is so entertaining!**

 **Alright, alright.**

 **See you guys next time! I have some juicy chapters in the oven as you're reading this. Hihi.**

 **Rain out**


	23. Chapter 23

**Baby chapter. Didn't even realize that until two chapters later. Enjoy nonetheless!**

* * *

"How's he doing?" asked Snotlout when Dagur walked out of the healer's hut, shutting the door behind him carefully. His face didn't show worry nor confidence. It was just blank while lost in his own thoughts.

"Better." Dagur turned to the short Viking, his expression showing signs of exhaustion though. It wasn't easy bearing with close ones being wounded and staying by their side awake for hours while the rest of the town slumbered peacefully. Especially when those close ones were your little brother and sister.

"The twins and I scouted the perimeter," informed Snotlout, treating Dagur as a temporary leader while his own was recovering. "No signs of ships or approaching Flyers whatsoever."

"Good," said Dagur, nodding firmly and walking pass him. "Keep it that way."

Snotlout let the chief pass by and quickly went after him after groaning quietly to himself. "Dagur, I was thinking, you know, since it's already been a week since the retreat," he said, making rapid gestures with his hands despite the fact that Dagur walked ahead of him. "Don't you think we should start thinking about striking back?"

"That's up to Viggo to decide," replied the Berserker chief, looking at the short Viking from the corner of his eye. "He _is_ our key to getting to Krogan. But you're right." He stopped dead in his tracks, turning around to face Snotlout who looked surprised to be agreed with for once. "If this takes too long, we'll have to take matters into our own hands. We'll wait for Hiccup to wake up; see if he knows something we don't."

"Fine by me," replied Snotlout, nodding.

"Now see to the healer if she needs anything," ordered Dagur, turning around once again. "The sooner my little brother wakes up, the sooner we can get a move on our counter-attack."

…

Ruffnut and Tuffnut stood on the edge of the cliffside, collecting rocks off the ground and having some fun throwing them into the ocean below. Despite the blowing wind threatening to knock off their balance, the twins still stood on their tiptoes, gazing down as their small piece of Earth crashed into the violent waves slamming on the walls.

"Hey, I have an important question," said Tuffnut, watching as his rock plummeted down and disappeared into the wild waves of the sea below one more time.

Fishlegs sighed heavily, resting against a large boulder with his arms crossed over his chest. "Is it actually important this time?"

"Uh, my questions are _always_ important," said Tuffnut, sending a non-amused look over to Fishlegs who only rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't you roll your eyes at me, young man! I'll have you know that my theories could one day be the great universal questions of humanity. For example, is the Earth actually round? And are the ones who believe it to be flat actually just a bunch of _mutton-heads_?"

"That's the stupidest theory I've ever heard," replied Fishlegs flatly, disbelieving it was his turn to be stuck with the twins.

"Oh, really? Then explain to me why when we look out at the horizon, we can't see the entire ship yet."

"You have no proof!" said Fishlegs, very annoyed by now.

"Oh, you want proof? Then come check this out! Is this enough proof for you?" Tuffnut straightened up and pointed out at something still very far at sea heading their way.

Fishlegs held back his snap and narrowed his eyes but still couldn't make out the ship's crest or who was on board. All that mattered was that an unidentified vessel was coming this way and this could mean danger, especially when it was coming down from the North where Dragon Hunter Island was.

"Guys, we need to warn Dagur about this," said Fishlegs, never taking his eyes off the approaching ship.

"About what? My Earth-is-round theory?" asked Tuffnut, sounding a bit too excited.

"No! About that ship coming straight down from Dragon Hunter Island!" he said, gesturing at the vessel.

"Oh…"

"Come on!"

The trio ran back toward the plaza still looking as numb since their arrival a week ago. It didn't take long for them to spot Dagur heading toward the Great Hall.

"Dagur!" called out Fishlegs, chasing after the Berserker chief. "Single ship, headed this way!"

"What?" said Dagur, looking confused. "Just one ship? From where?"

"North," replied Fishlegs, the twins standing next to him.

"Hey, give me some credit here, Fishy," complained Tuffnut, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm the one who saw it first."

Dagur furrowed his eyebrows, trying to understand. "Why would Krogan send a single ship?" He straightened up in a heartbeat and moved the Riders aside to see the vessel. It was indeed a single ship with the Dragon Hunter crest printed on its sail. And with the strong winds blowing, it wouldn't take long for it to make it here. "Guards! Take your positions!"

"Stand down," said Viggo, his voice sounding so calm and wise as he walked by, hands reached to his back. "This ship wasn't sent for any sort of attack. If you pay attention closely, there's no one on board. This is merely the ship carrying one's remains."

"And how is that any better?" whimpered Fishlegs, toying with his hands.

"Because I saw this coming," replied Viggo, maintaining eye contact with the Rider standing next to him. The Dragon Hunter took a few steps forward and past Dagur who slightly narrowed his eyes at him. "This alternative would've been the result of the death of your leader. But seeing as Hiccup is still very much alive, I would guess Krogan didn't recover the body he supposedly killed, therefore, no corpse to burn and send us. But Krogan still wanted to send us the message."

"And what does that mean?" asked Tuffnut, gesturing at the ship soon to enter Berserker waters.

"It means Krogan believes your leader Hiccup Haddock the Third is dead," said Viggo, turning around to meet everyone's gaze. "And he's not."


	24. Chapter 24

Hiccup had expected to wake up in cold sweat and be welcomed by nightmares again. But surprisingly, his mind was crystal clear and he didn't feel haunted at all. Reality had slapped him awake in an instant. He didn't even have time to wonder where he was. He knew exactly where he was. He'd flown all the way here himself from Caldera Cay. He remembered.

Movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye and Hiccup turned his head to see an elderly woman tending to another patient. But the moment Hiccup rested his eyes on the wounded next to him, he could have sworn he'd felt his stomach turn upside down.

"Heather?" he said quietly, studying her pale futures. He looked up at the lady, concern painted all over his face. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"Oh, don't you worry, lad," said the healer, waving a hand at him. "She'll be awake just in time. She just needs some rest for now. All will be well soon; I can feel it in my old bones."

Hiccup didn't know what to think so he had to ask, "What happened to her?"

"Deep cut to the abdomen," replied the healer, finishing up bandaging the wound after making sure no infection was settling in.

"By whom?" he asked, meeting her gaze once again.

"I don't usually ask that much questions to the chief," she replied, pulling the blanket back on Heather's resting form. "But from what I've heard, this would be the work of this Krogan fellow."

Hiccup stayed quiet for a moment, staring blankly at Heather's color-drained face. Krogan wasn't just a dragon killer… he killed whoever stood in his way. Dragon or human, he didn't care. Hiccup couldn't imagine how many lives the Flyer had taken to be insensitive to wound a girl this age. Only a monster could do such a thing.

"I need to speak with my friends," said Hiccup, making a move to get up. He regretted this decision immediately when his whole body screamed in pain, forcing him to stay still on the bed with every muscle in his body tensed up in an attempt to make the pain go away.

"Easy there," said the old lady, not at all rushing over to his side. "You're going to be in greater pain than you already are if you try to leave."

Hiccup needed a moment to recover from the shock, panting as if he'd just ran from Berk's docks up to his house. "I-I don't understand… I was fine yesterday," he stammered, looking down at his bruised body, trying to understand what had happened since.

"Yesterday was another day," said the healer, walking to his side with some medicine in hand. "You crash-landed when you got here, fractured a rib and dislocated your shoulder. Not to mention the arrow wound in your back, a dozen bruises coloring your body and torn muscle tissue."

Hiccup sighed, pinching his nose bridge with the arm that had remained intact. This was almost embarrassing. "How long till I recover?" he asked, meeting her gaze again while she mixed ingredients in a small wooden bowl.

"In total, about 6 weeks if not more," she replied, staying quite neutral. But that didn't surprise him. Being a healer, after everything she'd seen, not much could get to her that easily.

"Six weeks?" echoed Hiccup, his eyes widening. "But I… I don't have that kind of time… I need to get Astrid and Toothless out of there…"

"Chief Dagur has that covered," said the healer, putting down the mixture on the small wooden table next to his bed. "Well, actually, he got someone else to take care of it."

Hiccup frowned in confusion. "Who?"

"Why, that handsome hunter of course," she said, turning her back to him with her ingredients in hand. "Let me tell yah, if I wasn't so old… I would've married him. Now take this pain-killer or ever suffer in your slumber." And with that, she disappeared behind a curtain cutting the healer's hut in half.

Strangely, relief washed over Hiccup as he lay back down against the pillow. He was glad Viggo was alive. After all, he had prioritized his life before his own right before he'd been shot down. If Viggo was still here, fighting by their side, then the man must've had a real change of heart. Hiccup just hoped there wasn't any trap in the Hunter's promises this time.

Hiccup grabbed the cup left for him by the healer and drank the whole thing in one gulp, ready to do whatever it took to recover as fast as possible and get Astrid, Toothless and every other dragon off that cursed island. One thing for sure, he wasn't going to allow his friends and allies to battle this powerful enemy without him. There was just no way he would stay back and hope for victory to be on their side. No… Whether they strike in six weeks or the next day, Hiccup would stand up despite the pain pounding in every muscle and bone, get on a dragon and face Krogan.

One.

More.

Time.

…

The air was thick with humidity down here. From all the torture methods Krogan could've tried on her, this was probably the worst.

Astrid paced in her cell, fists clenched tight to her sides. She could feel the pressure weighing down on her, making her wish she was just floating in the middle of the ice-cold ocean instead. Her eyelids felt heavy, begging her to be allowed to shut and give her eyes some rest. But Astrid couldn't _rest._ This wasn't time to _rest._ It was all just a matter of time before her friends flew right into this trap Krogan had explained to her, mentioning every little detail from general strategies to the very way he would end the lives of her fellow teammates.

She was scared. But that she would never admit out loud to anyone. She was Fearless Astrid Hofferson after all. She was fear itself. Nothing should get to her. But this… This terrified her more than anything else. Losing her family, her friends, her home… This was unbearable.

Her legs felt weak. It had been days since she hadn't gotten anything down her stomach. Every move she made quivered like a dying leaf barely hanging on to the branch of its tree. It only took a small rock lying on the floor to make her trip and fall down to her knees. She breathed for a moment, staring blankly down at the stone floor with a feeling of emptiness filling her up from within.

"It's true what they say," echoed a voice Astrid had come to hate a long time ago. Despite her fatigue, she managed to glare up at Krogan approaching her cell with a smug smile on his face, guards following him from both sides. "Prison does change a man. Or in your case, a little girl."

"You'll regret calling me so when I break loose from this place," she growled before throwing herself at the bars, trying to grab the Flyer but failing quickly as she sank down to her knees once again, exhausted and weak. She sighed, drained.

"Save your energy for later, my dear," said Krogan, smiling in pity. "Killing you numb wouldn't be exactly fun if you know what I mean. Of course, right after you've watched the rest of your fellow Riders' throats be slit. Or maybe I should try a different method for each of them… I've already pierced the heart of your leader with an arrow. You remember that, don't you, Astrid?"

Astrid raised her gaze to meet his, her wild blue eyes filled with hatred for him. But they also held grief for Hiccup's death and Krogan could see it crystal clear.

"Of course, how could you forget?" he continued, widening his arms. "He _was_ more than just a leader to you, wasn't he? More like a close friend? A _lover?_ Please, do fill me in."

"How dare you speak of him?" she managed to say, her voice quivering. "How _dare_ you!" She pushed herself up to bang her fist on the metal bar, knowing full well she would only hurt herself, but she wasn't even strong enough to get up. The moment she tried simply rising higher than her knees, she crashed back down, only her arms preventing her from falling down to the ground completely.

"Pity," said Krogan, his expression remaining the same. "Quite a shame this is what the famous Fearless Astrid Hofferson has come to."

"No thanks to you…" she whispered slowly, her bangs dangling before her eyes as she faced the dusty stone floor, her hands being the only things keeping her from meeting the ground.

"I know, darlin'," said Krogan, turning around to leave the dungeon. "Guard, make sure our prisoner gets some food. I don't want such a pathetic fighter when her time comes, unlike what used to be her _lover."_

"Yes, sir," replied the soldier almost immediately.

Astrid raised her head, her smoke-stained hair dangling before her face as she watched them leave, a killer-look in her eyes that would assure the downfall of Krogan's reign. Killing her betrothed had been enough of a mistake of his part and now he dared speak of him. Rage burned inside her and its fire would only grow stronger every passing minute she was locked away in this cell. The moment no wall stood between her and Krogan… May the Gods have mercy on this man.

* * *

 **Been working all summer long so I barely even had time to turn on my computer. Sorry about that.**

 **See you soon!**


	25. Chapter 25

"Is he awake?" asked a distant voice in the background, the now-familiar loud underwater-like sounds filling Hiccup's head.

"Don't rush it, Tuff," snapped another voice he recognized, allowing images of his friends to slowly appear to him.

Dragon's Edge – his friends.

"Give him some time," said another one. "You mutton-heads are invading his space. Hey! Back off!"

Hiccup blinked his eyes to see Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins peering above him, all looking very hopeful.

"Hey… guys," said Hiccup, managing a small smile to stretch to the corners of his mouth.

"Hiccup!" cheered Tuffnut, embracing his head and rubbing his hair roughly.

"Okay, okay, alright." Hiccup patted Tuffnut's arm to back off but everybody else just joined in the group hug. "Oooo-kay, guys, you're hurting me now."

"Oh, Hiccup, how we've missed you, my brave leader," said Tuffnut, bowing down at him next to his bed. "These have been harsh times! And now you're here, thank Odin!"

"Stop being over-dramatic!" snapped Ruffnut, her arms crossed over her chest. "That's my thing. You know that."

"I'm pretty sure you're mistaking, sis," disagreed Tuffnut, crossing his arms slowly over his chest as well once he got back up. "Everyone knows I'm more annoying."

"What happened to you, Hiccup?" asked Fishlegs, showing a great amount of concern compared to the other Riders. "Everyone thought you were dead."

"Well, everyone except me, of course," said Snotlout, followed by a light chuckle. "I never doubted your survival skills."

"I'm okay… now. I too thought I was dead at some point," he replied, raising his gaze back up again from where it had drifted off, recalling drowning. He met his friends' eyes and after discreetly making sure they too were all fine, he frowned and blinked. "Is Astrid still on Dragon Hunter Island?"

Fishlegs and Snotlout lowered their gazes to the ground, silently sharing a look.

"We… haven't heard from her since… well, since we got surrounded by the Flyers," said Snotlout, having been the only one along with the twins to have remained the longest on Dragon Hunter Island and having gotten off.

"Do you know what could've happened to her?" asked Fishlegs, his eyes widening a little, fearing the worst.

Hiccup held his friend's gaze before sighing, "No…" Carefully, he placed his hands on both sides of the bed and straightened himself without using his middle as much as possible to rest against the bed head. He took the time to recover a little from the painful effort and looked at his teammates once again. "Last I saw… or more like I _heard,_ Krogan had her."

This didn't surprise a lot of them but it finally confirmed their worries. There was no telling what move Krogan was planning next with one of their friends as a hostage. It was even worse for Hiccup, seeing as she was more than just a teammate. Astrid was one of his greatest weaknesses and this monster had a hold of her.

"We'll get her back, Hiccup," said Fishlegs reassuringly.

"I know we will," replied Hiccup, looking down. "Because I don't know what I'm gonna do if we don't."

The other Riders exchanged a quick glance before Fishlegs spoke up again. "Well, this time we have a much greater advantage," he said and as he said it, the door opened and Viggo appeared in the door frame before closing it back again.

"Greetings, Hiccup," said Viggo, his hands reached to his back as usual. "Well-rested?"

"Viggo," greeted Hiccup, nodding respectfully at the Hunter. "I see Snotlout obeyed my orders for once."

"Haha, very funny," said Snotlout sarcastically.

"It would appear so," said Viggo, a small smile on his lips. "It took some convincing but I finally succeeded in changing your friends and allies' minds to allow me to serve them with the knowledge and tactics I withhold."

"That's fantastic," said Hiccup, a confident look on his face. "Thank you, Viggo."

"The pleasure's all mine," said the Hunter, placing his hand over his chest. "I am a man of honor after all. I am indebted to you, Hiccup, for saving my life before your own."

"This feels like having a superhero on our side," whispered Tuffnut to his sister but just loud enough for everyone to hear. They all turned their heads toward the male twin and the room filled with silence. "What? Oh, you can't tell me I'm wrong."

"So what's the plan?" asked Hiccup quickly before things got more awkward.

"Well, that's just it," said Viggo, holding Hiccup's gaze. "You being alive just scratched off almost every possible outcome I thought to be possible."

"Gee, talk about positivity," commented Ruffnut.

"So what does that mean?" questioned Hiccup, raising an eyebrow.

"It means we know something Krogan doesn't," said Viggo.

"Which is?"

"That you are alive."

"And how is that helping us?" asked Snotlout, furrowing his eyebrows before quickly turning to his leader. "No offense, Hiccup."

"With Krogan believing you to be dead, it places him in a dangerous position of overconfidence where he thinks the Dragon Riders and all of their allies are just a flock of Night Terrors without their alpha," he explained, making slow gestures with his hands.

"And overconfidence—" started Hiccup, thinking deeply.

"Gets you killed," finished Fishlegs, a smile appearing on his lips. "Oh Thor, this is too good."

"But Astrid's on that island too," informed Hiccup, making a sudden movement forward, accidentally stretching his back which caused him to wince.

"Taken in account, don't you be worried," said Viggo, reassuring Hiccup a little bit. "I know all too well what Krogan's using her for. He only keeps her as bait for you. And only once you'll all be trapped under his talons will he touch a hair on her head."

"How do you know that?" wondered Snotlout, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Because I know how Krogan operates," he replied, turning toward the short Viking. "I might have been selfish at times but I do know how to read people. You can relax, Snotlout, you should know I'm not planning on hurting anyone else besides Krogan and his men."

Snotlout crossed his arms and sat down on a chair, grumbling to himself.

"So what are our chances?" asked Hiccup, confidence settling down in his chest now that he knew they were way ahead of Krogan.

"To be honest, the odds aren't actually as fair as I hoped them to be," replied Viggo, taking a moment to review all outcomes possible. "Just us and the Berserkers will not be enough to vanquish Krogan and his army of Hunters _and_ Flyers. We'll need warriors as much on the ground as in the air. You have allies, right?"

"Plenty," confirmed Hiccup, smiling.

"Good." Viggo nodded his head, a gloomy look settling on his features. "Then we'll need them all if we want the majority of us to survive this battle as unscathed as possible."

"Hold on a minute," said Snotlout, getting back up from his chair in a heartbeat. "What do you mean, 'majority'?"

"If I speak this information, then defeat is most certainly on our side," said the Hunter, glaring down at Snotlout, forcing him to sit back down without another word.

"Mystery man…" mumbled Tuffnut.

"Alright, then," nodded Hiccup, taking a moment. "I trust your judgment."

"That is nice to hear," said Viggo, meeting the Rider's gaze. "Now rest. This mission cannot happen without you."

* * *

 **So... I started college. And there is one particular course I know I'm gonna love. And I'm gonna share it with you even though you're just here to read Httyd fanfiction :)**

 **SO! There's this whole new class that has just been introduced this semester and guess what it's about? SUPERHEROS! I'm a Marvel fan so this is pretty cool to me. It's an English class (I'm a Frenchy) and we'll get to create our own superheroes and explain how they come in service to the world. We'll have to make up backstories and go into the details so this is awesome for me. Finally, a course where you get to create stories! I've been waiting for so long..! And you know what's cool about the teacher? Her name's Heather! WUt? I'm pretty excited and I wanted to tell you for some particular reason...**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter I wrote a while ago so that I'd have a couple of chapters to publish while I'm not writing... Heh.**

 **Till next time!**


	26. Chapter 26

A few weeks later…

Hiccup sat on the side of the bed of his newly assigned hut for his time staying on Berserker Island. Bandages lay next to him in a pile as he carefully removed them from around his middle. The healer had taken care of the wound in his back until it had scarred as well as for his fractured rib. His skin had returned to its original color and despite the occasional pain from his ripped muscle tissue, he was nearly back to normal. Well, as far as normal went for him. He'd been supposed to keep his middle tight for at least another whole week or so but the constant tightness grew more annoying every day and he couldn't stand it anymore. Besides, he was almost completely healed. This wouldn't hurt. He stood up and grabbed the used bandages and shoved them under his bed so nobody would notice and smoothly slid on his new red tunic. He opened the door and walked outside, facing the - as always - numb plaza of Berserker Island.

It had been four weeks now since his arrival. The healer had suggested to take it easy but how could Hiccup, leader of the Dragon Riders, facing a dangerous enemy that held captive his dragon, betrothed and nearly killed his friends and allies do such a thing at a time like this. There was so much he wanted to be doing right now. So many people and dragons out there needed his help. Standing still and doing the minimum required was the biggest challenge he'd ever been faced with.

At least his team could keep busy and do a few things around here. Soldiers roamed the place, alert for any sort of attack coming from both the sea and the sky seeing Krogan's double forces now that he led not only his Flyers but the Hunters as well.

Hiccup would've liked to go now and defeat Krogan once and for all, but according to Viggo, they had to wait some more for his plan to fall right into place. Besides, Hiccup had seen what a foolish idea that'd been...

"Can't rest?" asked Viggo as Hiccup passed in front of one of the many huts. The young Rider stopped mid-step and turned to face the former Hunter as he leaned against the door of his assigned residence, arms crossed over his chest.

"That easy to tell, huh?" replied Hiccup, looking sideways as he approached the man who seemed quite relaxed compared to him.

"Let things be for now. Trust me, everything will be fine," reassured Viggo for what felt to be the thousandth time since Hiccup had first woken up.

The Rider lolled his head backward, sighing. "I do trust you, Viggo." There seemed to be some exasperation in his tone to which Viggo only frowned curiously. "I just wish you would tell me what you have in mind and when we'll attack."

"I told you," said Viggo, repeating himself. "If I tell you, it won't happen."

"Yeah, how's that exactly?" asked Hiccup, putting his hands on his hips. "You're acting like some _wizard_ who's foreseen the future."

Viggo could only chuckle to that comment. "Oh, you never seize to amuse me, my dear Hiccup. But believe me, it's best if it remains unspoken. Especially to you."

Hiccup frowned, letting his shoulders drop as he sighed. He povited back around, waving a hand at Viggo "Alright, keep your secrets. But please, can't you tell me _when_ something will happen?"

"All in good time, my friend," replied Viggo as the young Rider carried on wherever he was headed in the first place. "All in good time…" The man let his gaze rest on the boy as he walked away, his smile slowly fading away as he dragged it back on the ocean, studying the horizon line with a death glare.

"Come on, Krogan," he said to himself, his glare darkening. "Bring the battle to us."

…

Krogan stepped on the top of the hill he and Viggo used to stand on to see the Dragon Riders coming in for a raid, only to retreat minutes later after admitting defeat. Krogan had felt defeat as well every time. But now, as he gazed upon the island, busy as much on the ground as in the air, the Flyer couldn't help but feel victory by his side.

It had been a month since the death of the leader of the Dragon Riders, Hiccup Haddock the Third. What a shame… Then again, no father, betrothed or even tribe should be proud of the way their hero went out. It was truly pathetic, really. But Krogan had to admit that the boy had been pretty hard to kill. But that didn't prevent his death. If he, Krogan, had been able to not only capture but end the life of the so-called Ultimate Dragon Trainer when no one else could, then he considered himself more powerful than every man. It had been his moment of truth – that now, he could do whatever he wanted. He could rule the world and proclaim himself king of the archipelago and beyond. But that would require hard work. But nothing he wouldn't be able to accomplish. With two armies under his command, he had a pretty good starter-kit.

"Sir, the prisoner's tried to escape again," reported a soldier, dragging Krogan out of his thoughts about his future plans. "It's the third lock she's broken. We have her changed cells but I don't know how fast she'll get through this one."

Krogan only hummed to himself, reaching his arms behind his back. He frowned, raising his glance to the dark horizon line up ahead.

"Sir?"

"It's strange, wouldn't you say?" he said, never turning around to face the guard.

"What is, sir?" asked the soldier, unsure how to react.

"Every time, the Dragon Riders came straight back," he said calmly. "Even with their supposedly smart leader at the head. But now that they're leaderless, the decision should be quite simple, shouldn't it? Stupid as the rest of them are, they should've come straight back here… just like boomerangs. I mean, I do have their second-in-command _and_ three of their dragons right here. So tell me... What do you think is holding them back?"

"Am-am I supposed to have an answer to that?"

Krogan turned around in a split second, eyes narrowed to slits. "I want every ship loaded with weapons and every Singetail dragon up in the sky," he ordered immediately, walking pass the soldier.

"S-sir?" asked the guard, confused by the sudden orders.

"Get ready for battle," said Krogan, pausing to face his man. "I'm not waiting another second for these cowards to get here. We're bringing the fight to them and I'm going to end those Dragon Riders' pathetic and miserable lives and all of their allies' once and for all!"


	27. Chapter 27

Rain poured down from the darkened sky of the evening as the inhabitants of Berserker Island sheltered inside their huts, cozy with their fireplaces lit up to warm them up. Thunder roared loudly above them only a split second after lightning struck. The bright flash pierced the cracks in the walls and occasionally lit up the warm orange insides, casting scary shadows all around, giving the impression that an imposter had made their way in.

Viggo sat in front of his fire pit, alone in his small temporary hut. He watched as the flames licked the surface of the logs, the center of the fire as bright as the lightning bolts right outside his door. But the ex-Hunter wasn't focusing on what he was seeing. He listened to the exterior instead, alert for any other noise else than the storm's wrath. The sudden sharp and distant roar of a dragon had Viggo's eyes shoot straight to his door. He'd stopped breathing, listening for it again.

Nothing…

Viggo narrowed his eyes and stood up, the gentle crackling of the fire in the background fading out completely. He cracked open his door to see the storm still raging on. There was only the sound of drops splashing against the puddles on the ground until another lightning bolt struck and lit up the night sky, revealing multiple dragon silhouettes approaching this way before everything went back to black and he wasn't able to see anything but the couple torches still burning bright around the plaza.

Viggo had a hard time believing no guard had seen the massive flock coming their way. Grumbling under his breath, the former Hunter sped across the plaza and to the first sentry tower. He was soaked to the bone in seconds. He went up the short staircase and stood behind the guard who'd fallen asleep on his shift.

"Hey!" shouted the soldier as Viggo grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him aside.

"Move," he simply commanded and the man fell backward from his chair. He proceeded to blow in the horn, which rang all around the village, setting the alarm. Doors flung wide, allowing the bright orange colors from the houses to spill outside and reflect in the puddles of water.

"What's going on?" were shouted along with, "What's the meaning of this?!" and "Are we under attack?!"

After some more blowing in the horn to make sure the entire island was awake, Viggo stepped back.

"Viggo!" heard the ex-Hunter and he looked down from the post to see Hiccup standing at the bottom of the tower, a hand over his eyes to prevent the water from getting into his eyes. "What's happening?"

"Get everyone to safety! Dragon Flyers!" he replied loudly above the rolling thunder. Despite the curtain of rain, he'd seen the young Rider's eyes widen in horror. But Hiccup nodded anyway and went to fetch Dagur and the rest of his team.

Viggo watched him go and turned back around to gaze at the horizon, making out the shapes once more as another bolt of lightning struck. He stood still, staring at nothing but pitch-black once again and muttered, "Gods, help us all…"

Hiccup ran his hand through his hair, moving his soaked bangs away from his eyes as he reached his friends' huts.

"Hiccup, what's going on?" asked Fishlegs who stood outside with Meatlug hovering above him to protect her rider from the rain.

"Yeah, I heard we were under attack," said Snotlout, standing close to Hookfang who had lit up to warm up his rider, one of the nicest thing the Nightmare had ever done for Snotlout.

"Oh! Finally some action!" shouted Tuffnut, punching his palm with a wide smile painted on his face.

"Dragon Flyers. Headed this way," panted Hiccup, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "We need to get everyone to the Great Hall now. Has anyone seen Dagur?"

"Right here!" shouted the Berserker Chief, coming down from above with the Triple Stryke. "I'll get the defenses ready."

Hiccup nodded and gestured to his teammates to follow him. It didn't take too long and they had a good wave of villagers headed for Great Hall, mostly elders, women, and their children. A few warriors stood at the foot of the stone stairs as a last line of defense should they not be able to get everyone in right on time before the raid.

"There you go, ma'am, you'll be safe in here," said Hiccup as he led an elderly woman inside to join the rest of the most vulnerable ones.

Viggo sped up the stairs and met with Hiccup, a grim look on his face. "They'll be here soon," he informed. "We need to hurry this up. Krogan won't care between a child and a soldier. He'll destroy anything and anyone in his path. We need to be ready."

A sharp and alarming roar pierced through the noises of the heavy rain, sending a shiver down everyone's spine.

"Why did I have to hear that..?" whimpered Fishlegs, shrinking.

When the last few people finally got inside, Fishlegs and Snotlout and the twins started to push on the mighty gates to shut everyone in.

"They're getting closer," noticed Hiccup, looking out at the black sky, unable to see a thing. But from the whooshing he could hear despite the loud rain, Hiccup could tell there were many and of course, getting closer. "We should head for the defensive lines; help Dagur out with the first wave."

"My apologies, Hiccup, but you won't be joining us for this one," said Viggo, grabbing Hiccup's shoulder firmly.

"What?" he said before receiving a punch to the stomach and getting shoved inside the Great Hall right before the gates closed.

"Viggo!" shouted Hiccup the instant the mighty doors boomed shut. He held tight to his stomach, sitting on the ground. Mixed feelings rose inside him but he didn't even try to get up and bang on the gates to let him out and fight this battle in which he belonged. All he could do was pant from the temporary pain and stare blankly at the tall doors towering before him with disbelieve and frustration painting his expression.

…

"Hiccup!" yelled Snotlout, right when the doors shut. He turned around to the ex-Hunter, jabbing a finger under his chin threateningly. "You! I knew we shouldn't have trusted you!"

"Calm your nerves, Snotlout," said Viggo annoyingly, rolling his eyes and shoving his disrespectful hand away from his face. "I assure you, he's right where I need him to be. Unless, of course, you wish for your leader's death and not to mention your defeat…"

The Riders shared a look but Snotlout finally sighed grumpily. "Fine," he said. "But I hope you have a good plan for this."

Viggo held his stare, a smile pulling on the corner of his mouth. "I assure you, you won't be disappointed."

* * *

 **Yassss.**

 **Guys, I have a question. I know Wattpad seems more flexible, but if I wanna publish a fanfic for which there is no category, do yah know where I should publish it on Fanfiction? Just asking for some help. If you know, let me know!**

 **Alright, see yah!**

 **Rain**


	28. Chapter 28

Soldiers marched on the island, positioning themselves ready for battle as the Flyers got closer. Despite the curtain of rain, they could see the dozens and dozens of ships sailing through the storm as well. Sure, Krogan had a double army. But Dagur had an armada. Helmets on, weapons in hand, the Berserkers were ready to fight the approaching enemy.

"Berserkers, hold!" shouted Dagur, standing in front of his men with the Triple Stryke and Shattermaster by his side, their eyes narrowed dangerously.

The ships were getting closer and as were the Singetails. Dagur could make out the Titan dragon at the lead, flown by Krogan of course. What remained of the Dragon Riders joined the Berserker chief's side while Viggo stood back, sword in hand.

"Wait 'till they're in range…" said Dagur, raising his arm. A few seconds past and he closed his fist, yelling, "Fire!"

Flaming rocks were catapulted and crashed against the first incoming vessels, the sound of the wood cracking satisfying to the ear. It didn't take too long and the ships that'd been hit quickly went up in flames, forcing their crew to jump in the merciless sea.

Dragons swooshed right above them, throwing fireballs from their tails down at the lined-up soldiers. What was once an organized line of defense had now turned into a battlefield in only a few seconds. The double army of Flyers and Hunters came in like a tsunami wave on the island. Flames were everywhere, dragons were roaring. Men were yelling and swords were clashing.

And all the Gods dared do was express their wrath through a raging storm.

…

Hiccup listened to the fierce battle outside. He couldn't believe everyone was out there but him. He balled his fists, pacing restlessly.

"No, no, no… this can't be happening!" he said, running his hands through his wet hair. He banged on the doors, shouting, "Somebody let me out!" But it was no use. It would take the strength of at least Viking _men_ to get these gates opened. And there were only elderly people and mothers with their children in this room. Even if he asked for a hand, no strong women would allow him outside. Not when he looked like a talking fishbone still in recovery.

He sat back down before the gates while everyone gathered at the far back of the Great Hall for extra safety. All Hiccup could do was wait and pray to the Gods none of his friends and allies were getting their lives taken by this monstrosity he called Krogan.

…

Viggo clashed his sword against yet another Hunter. And to say he once led these men… Where was their loyalty? But the ex-Hunter stood his ground firmly and managed to knock the weapon out of the man's hand before he could do any real harm. He proceeded by piercing the body with the blade before facing another charging Hunter. The same was done and Viggo ran for higher ground close to the Great Hall.

A powerful roar echoed all around the battlefield, shaking the ground. Viggo looked up panting at the mighty Titan Singetail. He locked eyes with Krogan who smiled wickedly down at him. The Flyer tugged the chains and came down, blocking Viggo's way out down the stone stairs. His only escape would be the Great Hall, but unfortunately for him, the gates were locked. He had nowhere to go. Viggo returned his attention on Krogan who'd watched him searching for a way out, a pitiful expression painted on his features.

"Aw, don't worry, dear friend," said Krogan with a not-so-comforting soothing voice. He still sat on his dragon, his body language messaging he was the one with power right now. "This will all be over soon, you'll see."

"Did you just come here to kill me with soft words?" said Viggo, grasping his sword's handle firmly, sending the message he was ready to him.

"I did come to kill you, yes," confirmed the Flyer, looking around. He spotted the remaining Dragon Riders battling against his Flyers in the air, constantly retrieving before heading back out. "And all the Riders and all the warriors…"

Viggo let out a short burst of laughter. "Oh, you are many things, Krogan, but, a winner is not one of them."

"I think you might be mistaking, old friend," said Krogan with a smile. "Look around you. I've already won! Unless that is of course… you have one of those genius strategies planned out… Tell me, Viggo. What is it you stand for? What are you protecting? I know you wouldn't hang around here just to defeat me. You'd already disappeared by now, wouldn't have you? There must be a reason…"

The blood-red Singetail slowly approached Viggo, snarling at his face threateningly with its sharp teeth bared.

"You shouldn't have _any_ business here," continued Krogan, staring down at the ex-Hunter, trying to get some words out of his tightly shut mouth. "So tell me," He widened his eyes like a complete madman. "What is it?"

Viggo held Krogan's gaze, but the images of Hiccup bursted in his mind, urging him to look back at the Great Hall to make sure the doors were still shut. Viggo's mistake in that short moment as he glimpsed over his shoulder could mean the end for Krogan followed that discreet look and understood that whatever Viggo was hiding… was in the Great Hall.

"Oh, so you're trying to hide something from me, aren't you?" said Krogan, laughing. He pulled on the chains of his Singetail, commanding the dragon to rear back on its hind legs. "Well, let's find out what it is!"

Tugging hard, the titan fired at the mighty gates, leaving a gigantic scorch mark on the doors. Viggo covered his head as the flames became his sky. The ex-Hunter didn't hesitate another second to escape the Flyer. Viggo stood back wide-eyed, watching as the titan rose in the sky and fired again and again until the loud alarming crumbling made the ground shake and frightened screams filled the air along with the smoke of a burning town.

…

Hiccup listened to the muffled noises of the battle right on the other side of the gates, staring blankly down at the stone floor. He was lost in his thoughts until a loud _BOOM!_ rung all around the Great Hall and Hiccup snapped his head up at the towering doors that locked him away. Everyone in the large room fell quiet after a few screams of surprise. Then another one hit the gate, shaking the whole place and even making some dust fall from the ceiling around the entrance. Hiccup quickly got to his feet and scanned the doors, a dreadful feeling filling up his guts.

"Something's not right…" he mumbled to himself and slowly backed off as he started feeling the heat crossing through the doors. The attacks became more constant and much stronger and Hiccup's eyes widened when he heard the sickening sound of crumbling boulders and the high pitch of bending wood behind the smoke that had come through the cracks. "Oh no…"

Everything came down in an instant - the scorched, broken gates, the rocks of the frame – it all collapsed. Screams of women, cries of children, yells from warriors, roars from dragons and crackling fire were now the only noises existent in this world.

Through the curtain of smoke appeared Krogan on his red titan, standing powerful on top of the pile of debris. The Flyer overlooked the place, casting his gaze on the pathetic cowering bunch of weaklings at the far end of the still-intact Great Hall. Something dear to Viggo was in here…

Krogan scanned the place, unsatisfied with his find. Until his eyes landed at the bottom of the pile of rubbish, on a familiar pained face he'd thought he'd never see again. The one of the Dragon Rider leader he'd killed himself. The one he'd watched die before his eyes… The ghost of Hiccup Haddock the Third.

* * *

 **Y'all excited for Homecoming? I surely am! To think Dragons was completely over... What would be cool is if they did a Halloween special. Imagine, a spooky-themed short movie where the Riders all get freaking scared from hauntings and stuff. Actually, I should write something like that... *rubs chin***

 **Think they're gonna do another series or new saga but with Zephyr and Nuffink? I think I'd like that. But I think that if that happens it won't be for a couple of years, just like Race to the Edge took 2 years to be released after Defenders of Berk.**

 **AnYwAyS! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a greeeaaaat week!**

 **Peace out!**

 **\- RAIN**


	29. Chapter 29

Hiccup held Krogan's gaze with terrified eyes. The Dragon Rider had waited for this moment to finally face Krogan once again, dreaming he'd feel powered by the desire for vengeance. But stuck under wreckage and the Flyer towering above him on his mighty Titan Singetail was not at all the way he'd pictured it.

Hiccup tried pushing against a heavy piece of door under which his good leg was stuck, grunting and tugging. Nothing moved and Hiccup gasped for breath. It wasn't easy to breathe to beginning with, thanks to the Dragon Flyer leader's destructive behavior that had raised the dust of hundreds of years of accumulation. His heartbeat accelerated when Hiccup saw the dragon's shadow move over him and his eyes flew wide, fear painted clear on his face as Krogan carefully approached, weapon drawn. He tried to pull free again, pressing his prosthetic leg against the hard surface of the rock, but his efforts were in vain. He was stuck up to the knee cap between two boulders and a door that made sure he couldn't escape.

"Oh, come on!" he shouted out of frustration as the dragon came closer. Hiccup turned on the side and wrapped his arms around his head, ducking his chin against his chest when the large head of the Singetail was only inches away from his face, its sharp teeth rattling loudly against the dragon-proof chains. The Rider took a caution peek when there was a pause, his breathing still very loud from the adrenaline running through his veins.

"What a shame…" said Krogan, sitting tall with the chains held in his hands. "You should've just died when you had the chance. Now we have to start all over again." The tone the man was using wasn't what Hiccup would identify as anger. But more like... disappointment? And for some reason, it made the whole situation ten times more terrifying.

"Get away from him, Krogan!" called out Viggo, standing outside the destroyed entrance of the Great Hall.

Krogan rolled his eyes and tugged on the chains, forcing the dragon to twist back around and face the ex-Hunter. But right before he turned around completely, Krogan locked eyes with Hiccup and smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll be back for you oh very soon," said Krogan before turning his back to Hiccup to face Viggo.

Hiccup tried not to let too much fear be shown but it was hard to contain his cries for help in his position. He'd waited for the Flyer to have turned away before allowing the tears of pain, frustration and terror stream down the side of his face, washing a little bit of dirt off his face in the process.

"All of this, just to keep that boy alive," said Krogan as the dragon took threatening steps forward. "This is what the great Viggo Grimborn has come down to apparently… what a loss. You would've been better off dead as well and you know it."

"Maybe," agreed Viggo, holding his chin up high. "But I'm not done yet. And I will not stop until I see through that you're defeated. No matter what it takes."

"Brave words from a poor fool," said Krogan, sliding down his dragon with his heavy ax in hand. "Unfortunately for you, I'm starting to really like ruling thousands of men. And I think I want more, even. You see, being chief is not enough. After I conquer the entire archipelago and all those little rat tribes out there with no real democracy, I think I'll like the title of a king."

Viggo frowned, disbelieving Krogan's mad plans of conquering the world. He looked around at the raging battle, seeing the few Dragon Riders having a hard time keeping up with the Dragon Flyers. Dagur's armada was shrinking with every blow of a sword and Viggo himself could not stand a chance against Krogan and his titan. His small mistake that revealed Hiccup's location had sent his plan down the ditch. But he'd been prepared for this. Viggo always had a backup plan.

"Consider yourself honored to be the first tribal chief I kill…" said Krogan before swinging his blade at the ex-Hunter. Thankfully, Viggo had seen the movement just in time to step back. The sharp tip of the ax's blade swung before him and slightly scraped his chest, allowing some droplets of thick red liquid to slide down the black leather of his armor.

But Krogan didn't stop there. He continued striking, his blows blocked by Viggo's heavy sword, one of the few weapons able to stand a chance against the Flyer's mighty ax. Sparks flew as the Flyer struck restlessly, the ex-Hunter using all of his strength to resist against the powerful blasts. The two blades clashed and both men pressed on, bringing their faces inches apart.

"I _will_ shred this entire world down to its last peace-keeper," spat Krogan, a mad smile on his face. "So that no fool like you or Hiccup Haddock can stand in my way. I will thrive, dear friend. But you won't be alive to tell the tale…"

Viggo bared his teeth and withdrew his sword before swinging again, clashing against Krogan once again.

…

Hiccup kept working on escaping these stubborn rocks, wiggling his leg as much as this pile of rubbish would allow it. But the pressure of the boulders had started interrupting his bloodstream, making his limb feel numb. Not to mention the friction from moving around had swollen his knee, making everything even tighter and impossible.

"This is _not_ good…" he mumbled. He looked around; everybody that'd been sheltering at the back of the room had fled by the way back and into the heart of the island, similar to Berk's plan B which was the cove. There was no one else here to land him a hand. He was on his own.

He sighed and shut his eyes.

"Hiccup!"

The Rider's eyes went wide and he looked up to see Snotlout's silhouette through the smoke on the pile of rubble. His heart instantly lifted and Hiccup couldn't help but allow a smile on his face.

"Snotlout! I'm down here!" he called back, waving an arm to get his attention. It didn't take long and the Dragon Rider flew down on his Monstrous Nightmare.

"Oh, thank God you're alive!" he said, jumping off his dragon.

"Yeah, but I won't be for very long if I stay here," said Hiccup, gesturing to his leg and the ongoing battle outside. "Would you mind giving me a hand?"

Snotlout nodded and gave his dragon a look. Hookfang didn't even roll his eyes and proceeded to remove the boulders that had their leader trapped. Hiccup didn't wait a second and pulled himself to his feet, only to collpase as if all strength had evaporated from his body.

"Woah, are okay?" asked Snotlout, helping him back up.

"I'm okay," gasped Hiccup, lifting his bruised leg up. Good thing he'd practiced his balance on his prosthetic all those years ago or he'd be right back on the floor. "We need to go back out there."

"Hiccup, it's nuts out there!" said Snotlout, exaggerating his movements. "There's no way you'd last a second without a dragon. Dagur's armada is not enough against the Hunters alone!"

Hiccup's eyes widened in concern before running his hands through his hair. He limped his way to the crevice on the side of the hill of rubbish and overlooked the battle, lost for words. The entire place was on fire. Dragons screeched, men yelled in agony… It was total bloodshed like Hiccup had ever seen before. He overlooked both the land and the sea. Ships still came in, the Dragon Flyer symbol clear on their sails. This was nothing like the numb-looking town that it had been only a few hours ago. If only he had Astrid and all the other dragons they'd lost during battle…

Wait.

Hiccup focused on the ships once again, searching for the mother ship.

Snotlout had noticed Hiccup's change of behavior, seeing his posture straightening up and his expression change from the side view he had.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Snotlout, raising an eyebrow.

"That mother ship over there," said Hiccup, pointing to the large vessel in the middle of the fleet still sailing at large. "That's the only ship with cells under the deck."

"How do you know that?" asked Snotlout, turning to him.

"Snotlout, we've faced the Hunters _and_ the Flyers hundreds of times. You think I wouldn't note which models of ships might have dragons underneath?" explained Hiccup, gesturing to the fleet.

"Alright, yeah, that sounds like you," agreed Snotlout, letting his eyebrows drop. "But what about it?"

"Well, if I were Krogan, I wouldn't leave my most valuable prisoner back at the base," said Hiccup, still studying the fleet. "I'd bring them with me, especially in case of negotiation of surrendering."

Snotlout gasped loudly, finally understanding Hiccup's point of view. "You think Astrid might be onboard?" he asked.

"Would make sense," said Hiccup, turning to Snotlout, a glimpse of hope in his eyes. "You think you can try to get to that ship without getting shot?"

Snotlout narrowed his eyes at the mother ship, humming. "No promises," he simply said before hopping onto Hookfang. "What will you do?"

Hiccup's gaze drifted back to the battlefield, a determined look on his face. "I'll keep myself busy."

* * *

 **Sorry it took so long to update this chapter.**

 **Alright, so that leg stuck under the pile of rubbish... well... I actually stuck my own leg under my bed to see how the f*ck Hiccup could get his out on his own. Impossible! I even considered dislocating his knee (because I'm a sinister person) but apparently he would've needed surgery not too long after that... and what's a battle with Hiccup laying in bed, am I right? Just to let you know how hard I think of things *nervous laughing***

 **I know some of you think Viggo's 'mistake' was a little bit unrealistic but hey... I don't have anything planned out. I gotta roll with what I think at the moment. Everybody makes mistakes! Viggo was under pressure! It's understandable!**

 **But that's all I gotta say here so have a great day/afternoon/evening/night!**

 **\- Rain**


	30. Chapter 30

Snotlout clumsily navigated through the flying arrows and flaming boulders as he flew into the enemy ships' range.

"Watch out!" he shouted after screeching as high as a Terrible Terror. Hookfang roared, shaking his head as they barely managed to escape the Dragon Root and reached for the dark clouds above. The storm kept raging on, allowing the curtain of rain to hide the duo from the Hunters' sight.

Snotlout groaned, wiping the water from his eyes. "We'll never be able to reach that mother-ship like that, Hookfang!" he shouted above the rumble of the thunder all around them. His Nightmare growled in response and attempted to set his rider's butt aflame only for the fire to die instantly. "Seriously, did you just try that on me again?" Hookfang rolled his eyes in annoyance. "We have to find a way to get to Astrid. Of course, if she's even aboard said ship… God, Hiccup… Why must I do all your hard work?"

Without a warning, Hookfang dived down, leaving his rider to grab his hovering helmet and slam it back against his head. "Hookfang! What are you-!" Before he could finish his sentence, the Monstrous Nightmare dove underwater in a tight spot between two ships, the fired Dragon Root arrows slowly sinking down to the bottom of the ocean as the dragon swam away as quick as an eel.

Bubbles trailed behind and Hookfang finally emerged underneath the bowsprit of the largest vessel of the fleet.

…

Astrid sat at the far end of her cell aboard the mother-ship, her mind focused on the steady rock of the boat while a guard paced across the aisle every couple minutes. Her blue eyes had lost their glow like a summer sky slowly getting covered by a thunderstorm. She'd spent the last month in an underground prison on Dragon Hunter Island, malnourished and abused. At first, she'd hung tight to hope and fought every day, breaking her cell's lock time and time again. She'd break out and then get thrown right back into another cell. After God-knows how much time, she'd figured she wasn't going to get out of here on her own. She would also need help to get the dragons out… But when no one came, she'd given up fighting and sat silently on the hard ground, letting all hope get sucked away from her soul. After what she'd seen happen to Hiccup right before her eyes, how could she hope? She'd ended up convincing herself she had never actually hoped at all. That it had all just been her survival instincts kicking in...

A dragon squawked across from the corridor and Astrid raised her eyes to meet Stormfly's. But her dragon's concern didn't bother her… She was weak. Trying to escape now would be useless. Just like it'd been back on the island. She'd seen the number of men Krogan had in total, and all those men were present in the raid. The rest of the Riders and whatever island Krogan had aimed for were completely doomed. A couple of warriors weren't enough to fight this double army. No one could survive Krogan now, not standing alone like she'd attempted time and time again. What a stupid idea that'd been… She stared down at her sore hands, wondering when her misery would finally come to an end. Just as the deafening sounds filled her ears a loud _BOOM!_ exploded and shook the entire vessel, knocking down everyone standing.

Astrid's emotionless face quickly turned to one of surprise as she looked for the cause of the disturbance. She rose to her feet and approached the gate cautiously, listening to the yells of men from the deck above her head. The soldier that'd been guarding her and the dragons had raced up the stairs, forgetting her existence completely. The ship shook violently again and Astrid quickly lost her balance, knocking her to the ground.

All source of light suddenly went out, plunging Astrid into darkness but when the young shieldmaiden looked up, she met eyes with a Monstrous Nightmare growling dangerously.

"Easy, Hooky!" shouted a voice Astrid knew all too well. She'd found it annoying so many times in the past but in this moment, it was like a wave of fresh spring water washing over her after spending hours with the blazing sun.

"S-Snotlout..?" she called, approaching the gate once again, her eyes narrowed to make out the rider's face.

"Astrid!" said Snotlout, jumping down his dragon in an instant, reaching her cell's door with a ring of key held in one hand. "Are you okay? God, we've all been so worried about you! Did they hurt you? I'm so sorry we couldn't rescue you sooner, Viggo said—"

"Snotlout!" she cut him off in a heartbeat, her fists tightened to her side.

"Right, sorry. Let's get out of here first, save the discussion for later…" He twisted the right key in the lock for every occupied cell, meaning Stormfly's, Windshear's and of course, Toothless'.

Battle cries from men were heard all the way down deck, suggesting more soldiers had managed to make their way on board.

"We gotta get out of here right now," said Snotlout, hopping on Hookfang. "Can you fly on Stormfly?"

"Yeah," replied Astrid after puffing out a breath of exhaustion. Toothless and Windshear followed closely behind, borrowing the same exit as the Nightmare through the large hatch in the ceiling. The Razorwhip knew her job instantly and grabbed hold of the Night Fury, her powerful wings carrying her in the sky quicker than any arrow trailing behind them.

"Wow, that was a close call!" said Snotlout, looking back to the men gathering on the destroyed deck, watching their captives escape high in the stormy sky. Snotlout smiled at Astrid but quickly noticed she wasn't acting as he would expect. Instead of joyful and relieved he laid eyes on a passionless face. "Astrid? What's wrong? You're not acting yourself… Did they do something to you?"

"Nothing a captor wouldn't do to his captive…" she replied after a deafening pause, staring blankly ahead of her as they soared high above the Hunters' range, Berserker Island growing bigger every wing-beat.

"I'm so sorry we couldn't get to you any sooner…" he apologized, running his hands against Hookfang's twisted horns, guilt loud and clear in his tone. "Viggo joined our side and helped us figure out the best solution in our situation. Hiccup wanted to get you back as soon as he found out you hadn't made it and—"

"What did you just say?" asked Astrid, cutting him off mid-sentence, her body twisted and leaning forward towards him. Snotlout met her gaze, her expression much more alive than a couple of seconds ago.

"Uh, I said Viggo—"

"No, you said Hiccup!" she said sharply, acting somewhat agitated.

"Yeah…? What about him?"

"I…" She slowly came back to facing the island coming closer, her blue eyes filling up with tears though camouflaged by the rain hitting her pale skin. She felt out of breath, replaying the scene before her eyes. The images were blurry in her mind but she remembered the arrow piercing Hiccup's skin, his limp body collapsing on the muddy ground while she kicked and screamed out the pain of her loss. "I… I watched him die…"

* * *

 **Yay! New chapter! Nothing else to say except "Hope you enjoyed it!"**

 **Till next time!**

 **Rain**


	31. Chapter 31

Arrows whistled sharply as they flew through the air, impaling themselves into trees and the forest floor. Hiccup looked over his shoulder as he fled into the Berserker Forest, escaping the group of Hunters that had spotted him the moment he'd stepped out the Great Hall. Or whatever was left of it anyway… Despite his sore leg, he managed to get away pretty quickly and make a run for the safety of the trees, knowing full well, just like Snotlout had said, that he'd never survive a minute in the battle without a dragon at his side.

The forest around him became much denser and after noticing the absence of spiraling arrows, Hiccup braked abruptly and slammed him back against the nearest tree, out of the Dragon Hunters' sight. His breathing was so loud; he feared they might hear him. But the shouts of men were far enough to his liking and Hiccup allowed his eyes to shut while sliding his back down the tree.

"Well… that… was close enough…" he said between breathing, swiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. The throbbing in his good leg slowly came back as the adrenaline slowly faded away, the pain just tolerable enough to keep him going.

When the shouts were gone, Hiccup took a sneak peek on the side to make sure none of the men had silently approached him and were ready to ambush. When the path showed clear, Hiccup rose to his feet and carried on with the route he'd been heading for, walking deeper into the woods. It didn't take too long and Hiccup started noticing broken branches and several footprints covering the muddy forest floor. Good thing morning had finally come and the sky was lighting up despite the ongoing storm otherwise he didn't know how he'd manage to make his way around these unknown woods on his own. And so Hiccup followed the trail, hoping he'd find the remaining people constituted of elders and other vulnerable individuals to make sure no one had gotten hurt during the collapsing of the gate. Well, other than him of course. As much as Hiccup wanted to make sure Viggo was handling Krogan alright and that the other Dragon Riders were hanging on against the Dragon Flyers, Hiccup knew he'd be defenseless. After all, he had to keep himself busy somehow.

Lost in thoughts, Hiccup barely noticed the voices a short distance away. The constant raining producing a continuous buzzing sound had filled his ears some time ago, making him less attentive to the noises surrounding him. He parted some branches to reveal some activity in a cave digging in the wall of a short cliff. Hiccup could've sworn he'd felt his heart lift as he laid eyes on the peaceful-looking group. As he stepped out of the edge of the woods and was silently greeted by mumbling voices that sounded nothing more than miserable, Hiccup's heart quickly sank back down to his stomach. He scanned the individuals, noticing that some elders looked very tired, probably from walking this much distance from the Great Hall to here. The cold droplets of the rain had probably left some cold and out here was no heaven for protection against any kind of sickness. Eyes followed him as he walked deeper into the cave but Hiccup knew they were of no admiration nor pity. Hiccup reached the group of people that had been injured previously, the old Healer moving from one patient to another. Hiccup approached her as she leaned down against a young girl, leaning her back against the smooth surface of the rock wall.

As soon as he started approaching, Heather got up rapidly, almost running into Hiccup in the process.

"Woah, are you okay?" asked Hiccup, concern clear on his face when he noticed her furious expression and aggressive behavior.

"No, everything's _not_ okay," replied Heather, turning to the old Healer approaching slowly with a bowl containing the same medicine Hiccup had been given to help with his healing. Heather made wide gestures. "Don't you get it? There are people out there right now! _My_ people! Fighting for their lives and I'm just sitting here letting my brother down!"

"Darlin', you must understand that the chief made it very clear to me that you stay safe and away from danger," explained the old lady, leaning against her long stick, reminding Hiccup of Gothi back on Berk. "Besides, you still have a long way before your complete recovery. Letting you go now could damage your healing wound and tear the fresh scaring tissues apart. You've lost a lot of blood and I might not be able to save you this time…"

Silence settled and Heather lowered her gaze to the stone floor of the cave, her exposed shoulders dropping. For Hiccup, seeing Heather without her armor, letting her edges exposed was like looking into a mirror. She and he had a lot in common. The urge to join the fight, to stand by their beloved ones' sides… But Hiccup had to take the Healer's side for this one. As bad as he'd been hurt in the battle on Dragon Hunter Island, Heather had suffered greater pain, getting her middle slashed open by Krogan. The process of her healing was much longer, given her great blood loss. Not only did she have to go through the hours upon hours of resting to encourage the healing of her wound but her great blood loss had demanded even more weeks of resting since her body needed time to replace all the blood she'd lost. Hiccup didn't quite understand all of what the old Healer had explained to him while he'd been in recovery but he trusted her to take good care of his friend.

"She's right, Heather," said Hiccup, placing a hand on Heather's shoulder. She lifted her gaze and met his while the old lady placed a blanket over her back, guiding her back to where she'd been lying. "I've seen what it's like out there and it's not pretty. You're better off here, where you can help with the more vulnerable ones."

Heather looked around; scanning the faces of elders, women, and children all huddled together, wishing for this nightmare to be over soon. She bit her lower lip and sighed.

"Alright then," she said, a small smile stretching on her lips. "I'll do my best."

Hiccup smiled. "Thank you, Heather." But that moment of peace did not last long when a sharp pain stroke in his leg, having Hiccup dig his straining fingers in the skin of his good leg while lifting it up the ground.

"What's going on?" asked Heather, her turn to be concerned about her friend. "Hiccup?"

Hiccup gasped before replying, "It's nothing."

"Well, clearly there's something," argued Heather, gesturing at his leg, the swelling clearly showing through the legging.

"Let meh see," ordered the Healer, giving Hiccup no option but to put his leg back down, allowing the old lady to observe while she stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Mmh, yes. I'm going to need to see through that tissue." Before Hiccup could register what was going on, she pulled out a knife and sliced the tissue over the swollen area, exposing the change of color of the skin.

"Hiccup, why didn't you say anything?" asked Heather, getting on her feet to join the Healer's side.

"Well, I… I…" stammered Hiccup, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "What? It's just a bruise." He gestured to his leg, the sudden strike of pain gone now. "I got stuck under some wreckage and I guess in a moment of pure panic I tried pulling away too hard, that's all."

"Oh, this is not just a bruise, darlin'," said the Healer, still observing the surface attentively. "You just might have a bone bruise."

"A bone bruise?" echoed Hiccup, cocking his eyebrow in confusion. "What's that?"

"Well, it's just a bruise for the most part but it goes much deeper than the surface. Your rush of adrenaline hid the pain of the damage you were doing to yourself. I've only seen it eye-naked but you've probably damaged small blood vessels and caused blood to leak into nearby tissues. Blood probably built up in that area, causing your swelling," explained the Healer, rolling her hand as the strange medicine language slipped out of her mouth. "You're gonna hurt, but the healing process is fairly simple. Just don't apply too much pressure on your leg, we'll put some cold water on it and I'll be giving you some medicine to reduce the swelling."

Heather expressed a peal of quiet laughter as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, it looks like you're stuck with me."

Hiccup met her amused gaze and exhaled loudly, his gaze trailing down to his new injury. Great. As if he needed this right now... But Hiccup knew he'd be heading back out there eventually. And no bruise was going to hold him back now.

* * *

 **So Homecoming is gonna air on NBC... Do you guys know if there's any other platform on which it's going to be released? Just asking.**

 **Till next time! Whooo!**

 **-Rain**


	32. Chapter 32

Krogan laughed darkly while bringing down his ax on Viggo who blocked the blow with his sword. The long heavy blade quivered from his shaking arm, his strength to fight slowly fading away. But the ex-Hunter refused to give in and pushed back, grunting loudly with his teeth bared.

Krogan held his ground after taking a few steps back, laughing quietly to himself while smiling at Viggo. This seemed just too easy for Krogan. Viggo felt weak. While having a moment to prepare for the next attack from the Flyer, Viggo eyed quickly his surroundings, rapidly noticing that they had strayed from the plaza and onto the edge of the town. Viggo returned his gaze on Krogan who slowly approached again. Of course he would take his time, why wouldn't he? He's not the one on the defensive…

"You won't win, Krogan…" growled Viggo, straightening himself up, sword at hand. "Sacrificing hundreds of men will not ensure victory… Much less killing your enemies."

"I don't see the logic in those words, to be honest," replied Krogan all too calmly, simply shrugging his shoulders. But his light expression almost instantly turned to one of fury and Viggo jumped out of the way before the mighty blade of the ax met his skin. It hit the tree that stood behind Viggo a split second ago instead. The blade sank in the wet bark, finally forcing the flyer to make an effort since the beginning of their combat.

Viggo took the opportunity to flee, running for higher ground where the ex-Hunter hoped to get a moment to rest before facing Krogan once more. He zigzagged through the trees, the ground becoming steeper with every step. Rocks began appearing in the ground and the canopy above his head started to clear. Viggo sheathed his sword to his back and took hold of the sharp boulders sticking out of the ground, avoiding accidentally slipping from the mud and ending up at the feet of a blood-thirsty Krogan. He finally reached the top of the abrupt hill formed right next to the entrance to the Great Hall, overlooking the town that had once been peaceful and quiet. Now blood stained the plaza. Men - Berserkers, Hunters, and Flyers - crowded the streets. Viggo observed the numbers and rapidly saw that Dagur's armada was no more than a few brave men. Regret overwhelmed Viggo as he watched from the edge of the cliff, rain still pouring down on this mad world.

"Thought you could run off that easily on me?" said Krogan, the bone-chilling voice Viggo had come to loathe.

Viggo sighed and looked over his shoulder, eyeing the Flyer with much hatred.

"Oh, please," said Krogan, smiling. "Don't give me that look. We both know this is for the best."

"How could a deranged person like you know what's best," said Viggo, turning around to face his opponent once more. "You've done nothing but hurt and kill. Everywhere you go, death follows."

"Well, the only true way to rid the world of impurities is to start everything over, isn't it?" said Krogan, observing the blade of his ax closely. "I thought that by killing Hiccup Haddock, his followers would yield - that believers would seize to believe in a world where people and dragons can coexist with each other. Hiccup Haddock was dead to me for a while. And… I wouldn't be surprised if he'd been to you as well."

Viggo narrowed his eyes. "I did take that possibility into account," admitted Viggo, tightening his fists. For as long as he could hold Krogan on talk, the more chances of survival he was granting himself. "I suppose you should've done the same. That he could've been alive, that is…"

Krogan's smirk melted away slowly and returned the look the ex-Hunter had been giving him previously. Silence settled itself between the two men for a moment before Krogan chuckled darkly once again.

"Ahh… I'm thankful," he said, meeting Viggo's eyes. "Seeing all of you, fighting so hard to protect this world you love. To protect dragons. Each other. Seeing that none of you will ever give up – will never yield before me. Seeing that force isn't enough…At least, now...Now, I know what I must do."

"Let me guess," interrupted Viggo. "You need to kill us all?"

"Yes," said Krogan. "To create a new world, one without dragons. Without Dragon Riders. Without believers…"

"It'll be a world born out of blood," said Viggo, still disbelieving Krogan had come to this.

Krogan chuckled. "They'll never know it," he continued, his eyes widening. Viggo bared his teeth, pulling his sword out of its sheath. "Because none of you will be there to tell the tale."

…

Astrid and Snotlout flew high above the island, avoiding Flyers riding Singetails that circled above the town, shooting at the Berserkers already struggling with the Hunters.

"This is awful," said Astrid, scanning the battle underneath her dragon's wings.

"Yeah, it is…" agreed Snotlout, looking down with sadness in his eyes. He raised his gaze back to Astrid. "Come on, it's this way."

Hookfang dove for the island followed by Stormfly, going around the back of the rock formation before flying high again above the Berserker Forest. Everything looked so peaceful out here… Not a sound to be heard, just the ongoing rain hitting against the leaves of the trees below. It was hard to believe now that people were dying right on the other side of the island. They approached the tallest mountain of the island, separating the rest of the island from the Berserker village in which the Great Hall had been carved. A small clearing quickly came in sight and Snotlout turned around to face Astrid who looked straight ahead, no expression at all.

"I think it's down here," he said, grabbing onto his Nightmare's twisted horns before diving into the woods, rustling some leaves in the process. Stormfly squawked at her rider before following, disappearing into the canopy of leaves.

The Deadly Nadder hit the ground heavily and Astrid sighed loudly, the body showing no other sign but exhaustion. Snotlout had dismounted in front of her and was looking out at a cave right ahead filled with people. Astrid joined him without hesitation, wondering why her teammate hadn't moved since.

"Snotlout, what is it?" she asked, impatience clear in her tone. She stood next to him and followed his gaze, her eyes quickly widening in disbelief as they landed on the form of the one she thought she'd lost forever. "Hiccup…"

* * *

 **Started rewatching Race to the Edge...(I know some of you never actually stopped) I'm getting back into it. Slowly though. I was just curious. I remember when RTTE came out and Fanfiction was BOOMING with new stories. I personally don't read that many fanfictions anymore but if you guys know a good one, let me know! Sometimes I'll have a little craving for some good Hiccup!whump to read but all that I see now are Modern AU and what-ifs from the first HTTYD. I like the RTTE episode. Idk. If you have suggestions, I'm open!**

 **(got another chapter ready for next week btw!)**

 **See yah!**

 **Rain out!**


	33. Chapter 33

The moment Hiccup shifted his eyes on the newcomers outside the secluded cave; he felt like his whole body had frozen on the spot and refused to make a move. It was almost like he feared that if he made any movement, the sight before his eyes would disappear. That _she_ might disappear. He stared wide-eyed, shaking.

"A-Astrid?" he stammered, his mouth finally working the words out. It had been so long since he'd spoken the name to the person it belonged to.

Astrid, on the other hand, did not stare back in shock. Wiping the tears she'd allowed to stream down her face, she ran toward him and wrapped her arms tightly around him, burying her face in his neck.

"I thought I'd lost you…" she said between sobs, not caring enough that the people around them might be shocked that Fearless Astrid Hofferson was crying. "Forever, this time."

Hiccup didn't answer and squeezed her back instead, resting his cheek against the top of her head. A single tear cascaded down his face as he smiled. The emotions he was feeling were simply indescribable. But if Hiccup had to choose one word, he'd go with happy. Just being here right now, with her, had been enough to make him feel hopeful again. To make him feel strong. And to make him feel alive.

They pulled apart and just like it was the first time, he placed his fingers under her chin and pressed his lips gently against hers.

"How did you…?" she quietly asked, blinking rapidly to express her confusion. "How did you survive?"

"It's a long story," replied Hiccup, smiling. He stroke her hair gently, his vision slowly blurring out from the curtain of salty water forming in his eyes. "I can't imagine a world without you in it. You know that, right?" He stared down into her sky-blue eyes - the ones he'd gotten lost in so many times.

Astrid smiled and pressed her cheek against the palm of his hand as it embraced her face. She placed her hand on top of his, taking in the feeling of his touch. A month away from all her friends – from Hiccup… So much had been sucked out of her, but at this moment, it was like everything she'd ever lost had returned.

"Alright, enough you two lovebirds!" called out Snotlout, standing with his arms crossed. "We have a war to fight. Let's move along."

"Strong words, Snotlout," replied Hiccup, holding Astrid closely.

"Well, what do you expect from the mighty Snotlout Jorgenson?" said Snotlout, grinning.

A sharp roar echoed in the cave and Hiccup's face lightened up almost immediately. Toothless didn't waste another second giving him and his betrothed some reunion time and charged at his rider. Hiccup didn't have time to brace himself before the Night Fury pinned him to the ground, soaking him with his saliva.

"Ah, ew!" He covered his face, trying to pull away from the dragon. "Yeah, I missed you too, bud!" He stroke Toothless' head, tracing his hand on his scaly forehead. He held his dragon's toxic-green gaze, narrowing his eyes with concern. "Did they hurt you, Toothless?"

Toothless cooed in reply, pushing his head against his rider. Hiccup rose back on his feet, patting his buddy's neck while he checked for injuries.

"Well, apart for the fact that they haven't been feeding you that much, you seem alright," he said. "Think you might be good to go out there?

"Hiccup," said Snotlout, standing by his Monstrous Nightmare. "That battle out there… It's not looking good…"

"I hate to agree with Snotlout," said Astrid, sighing. "But I've seen it. And I have to admit, we might not be able to win this one."

Hiccup took a moment of consideration before looking up at his friends once more. "Maybe you're right," he replied, meeting their eyes. "We might not. But we're not hiding either." Without waiting for a response, he hopped on Toothless' back, the absence of the saddle bringing back memories of when he rode Toothless for the first few times.

"But, Hiccup," said Snotlout, widening his arms. "Didn't you hear what I said? There's no way you could survive out there."

"No," said Hiccup, holding Snotlout's gaze. "You said there's no way to survive without a dragon."

"Yeah, a flying one!" screeched the Monstrous Nightmare's rider.

"There's an army of Dragon Hunters and Flyers out there," continued Hiccup. "If Krogan gets away with this one, we might lose the dragons forever. We have to at least try."

Snotlout groaned and rolled his eyes before climbing onto his dragon, ready to follow his leader despite his stubbornness issues. "Alright, but if you get killed out there, don't say I didn't warn you."

"But, Hiccup," said Heather, standing by her Razorwhip's side, a hand wrapped around her dragon's head. "You're hurt."

"Well, that's gonna have to wait," said Hiccup, looking down at his throbbing leg, the pain coming and going in waves. "I've got some unfinished business I'd like to deal with."

Astrid walked up to Heather as the rogue rider sighed, looking down at how damaged she was – preventing her from fighting alongside her friends and family. She met Astrid's gaze and sighed quietly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't do more," said Heather, feeling ashamed for losing against Krogan back on their attack on Dragon Hunter Island. After all, it was the reason she was stuck here in the first place. "I let you down, and I apologize."

"Don't say that, Heather," said Astrid, placing her hand on her cold bare shoulder. "You were brave to take Krogan on all by yourself."

"And foolish," she replied, looking down.

Astrid let escape a small laugh before retrieving her hand and put it on her hip. "Yeah, probably," she said with a smile. Stormfly squawked loudly, spreading her wings. Astrid knew the meaning of that. "Well, that means time to go. You'll stay here and protect these people?"

Windshear stepped up at that moment, standing in front of the cave entrance wiping her tail. "We'll _both_ protect them," replied Heather, locking eyes with Astrid after she'd hopped on her Nadder. Astrid nodded at her with confident eyes before turning away and approaching Hiccup and Snotlout.

"You're ready for this?" asked Hiccup as Astrid came closer on Stormfly.

"Oh, Hiccup," said Astrid, a dangerous flavor to her words. "Krogan and his men have no idea what's coming for them."

"Ohohoho," said Snotlout, a hint of nervousness in his laugh. "They're all gonna die."

"I'll be with Toothless on the ground," informed Hiccup, looking up at his friends standing on each side of him. "I need to get to Viggo and fast."

"What do we do?" asked Snotlout, ready for his command.

"Do what you do best," said Hiccup with a smile. "Make sure Fishlegs and the twins are alright. Two Dragon Riders against all those Flyers are tough odds."

"Yeah, no kidding," said Snotlout, snorting. "Good thing Singetails don't like altitude. Or we'd all be… yah know."

"Alright," said Hiccup, turning to Astrid. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"I'm fine, Hiccup," said Astrid, grinning. "You should be more worried about yourself. Because if you die again, I might not forgive you this time."

"Duly noted," said Hiccup, returning his gaze straight ahead before pressing his legs against Toothless' side. The Night Fury roared sharply and shot for the trees, disappearing amongst the thick foliage while Snotlout and Astrid shot for the sky, going back in the heat of the battle where chaos reigned and evil held no mercy.

* * *

 **What's uuup?**

 **Did yah watch Homecoming? Did yah like it? I'm not gonna talk about it too much though in case some of you haven't watched it. Not spoiling anything. But did you hear about another short movie called Snoggletog Log? It's streaming on a platform called Hulu, which I don't have. It's a bit longer than Homecoming though. I'm happy they're releasing new stuff after The Hidden World. That means we're getting closer to a potential sequel.**

 **Alright! That'll be all, everybody! Good luck with your exams before Christmas/Snoggletog (for those of you in school)!**

 **-Rain**


	34. Chapter 34

Hiccup held on tight as Toothless galloped through the trees, equally as fast on the ground as in the air. The young Rider stared right ahead, the clearing of the plaza starting to come into sight. Not long ago, he'd been running away from the battle and sought cover in the woods. He'd felt weak and useless. But with his Night Fury, feeling the dragon's strength underneath him, Hiccup could not feel stronger having his buddy back.

"Come on, Toothless," said Hiccup, leaning forward. "We're almost there."

It was until something above his head caught his attention and Hiccup looked up to see a flash of silver. A quick glimpse of metal-like wings had Hiccup bring Toothless to an abrupt stop. The Night Fury cooed in confusion at his rider, eyeing him from the corner of his eye.

"Are you seeing this too, bud?" asked Hiccup, scanning the canopy of trees for more movement. Sure enough, the sharp wingbeats confirmed Hiccup's suspicions and all he could do was smile in relief. "Let's go!"

The dragon roared sharply and took off once more, following the silhouettes soaring above their heads. Toothless jumped over the bushes separating the town from the wilderness and stopped on the edge, overlooking at the army of Wingmaidens coming in to join the fight. They came down like arrows, showing no mercy to the Hunters as they ran for their lives, back to their ships.

"Razorwhip, baby!" yelled Snotlout from the air. Hookfang roared and set a few Hunters aflame before they could retreat back to the docks.

"Hiccup!" called out Astrid and Hiccup looked up to see Astrid hovering with Stormfly. "We got more company!"

Hiccup followed her gesture and narrowed his eyes to see two approaching fleets coming from different directions, both with different colors.

"Hiccup, do you think it could be?" asked Astrid but Hiccup's face had already lightened up.

"Of course!" he said, quickly noticing the spiked ships covered with bones and skulls belonging to none other than the Outcast tribe and the carefully designed vessels of the Defenders of the Wing. "Viggo must've seen this coming. Of course he wouldn't hope that the Berserker tribe itself could manage with Krogan's double army. He must have sent some Terror Mails, hoping they'd get here in time."

"Well, as much as I'm relieved to see them, they're a bit late to the party," said Astrid, avoiding a random Dragon Root arrow before returning to hovering next to Hiccup and Toothless.

"This isn't over Astrid," said Hiccup, barely loud enough for her to hear. "Not while Krogan still commands an army." He turned back to her, gesturing to the ships. "Go see if you can blast some of those ships, grant safe passage to our newcomers."

Astrid nodded and flew for the fleet, no questions asked. Hiccup leaned over on Toothless, his eyes scanning the battlefield with a deadly glare. "Alright, bud. Let's go take care of Krogan. Once and for all."

Toothless reared and shot across the battlefield, avoiding every blow of sword, ax, and mace from the soldiers of both sides. Toothless took the opportunity to show his gratitude and smacked a few Hunters in the face while passing by. Berserkers didn't hesitate to jump on the next enemy Viking as Hiccup and Toothless disappeared in the crowd.

"The Great Hall, bud!" said Hiccup and Toothless powerfully climbed on the small hill of rubbish that Krogan had mercilessly brought down with his mighty Titan.

The Night Fury stood on the top, turning around to see the battle raging on. Berserker soldiers were completely outnumbered against the Hunters. The Singetails that had been circling above slowly reduced in numbers as Atali and her Wingmaidens removed the Flyers from their mounts and freed the dragons from their chains. He watched Astrid as she set a few ships aflame, allowing the two arriving fleets to dock without arrows and catapults firing down at them. Hiccup trusted the tides would turn soon since he had his own mission in mind.

"Let's find Viggo and Krogan," said Hiccup, patting his dragon's neck. "I have a feeling they're not too far away."

…

Viggo wasn't able to last much longer. Krogan was too strong, too skilled. He didn't stand much of a chance against the merciless Flyer now. Krogan brought down his ax again and Viggo barely blocked it, collapsing on the ground before receiving a kick in the guts. The ex-Hunter rolled onto his back, grunting at the pain. He was too close to the edge of the cliff now. If Krogan decided to throw him over the edge, he was done for. Krogan lowered his weapon down against Viggo's throat, the cold blade kissing his skin. Despite his situation, Viggo locked his gaze with the Flyer, letting him know how much hatred he felt toward him before allowing his expression to relax, letting his head drop to the ground. Exhaustion overwhelmed him and even if Viggo could find an escape, he doubted he'd take it.

"Goodbye, old friend," said Krogan, lifting his ax above his shoulder, ready to swing it down and let it sink into Viggo's flesh.

"Just get on with it," growled Viggo, glaring up at him with tired eyes.

Krogan smiled wickedly, taking way too much pleasure with this and as he lifted the heavy blade above his head, time seemed to slow down. Sounds faded away, every little noise becoming absorbed by the space around them. A long shadow stretched above the two men, the black shape of the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself spreading its wings from the very edge of the cliff. The loud and high-pitch roar drowned every sound as its toxic green eyes narrowed down on them, freezing Krogan where he stood.

Hiccup took the opportunity of Krogan's inaction. Already crouched on Toothless back, the Rider threw himself at the merciless Dragon Flyer. He flew over Viggo and at that moment, the world returned to its usual speed and Hiccup body-slammed Krogan away from the ex-Hunter. Both bodies hit the ground with a sickening thud. Hiccup slid a bit further, no thanks to the mud and was quick enough on his feet to stand back up before Krogan.

Viggo pulled himself up while assisting the scene, holding his middle loosely. Everything had happened so fast, he wasn't sure it had been real or not. But the proof lay right before him as Hiccup rushed to him. The shadow Toothless had cast was long gone and the ex-Hunter twisted around to see the Night Fury rushing into battle riderless.

"Quick, you gotta get out of here," said Hiccup in a hurry, offering his hand for Viggo to grab.

"No, we need to take care of Krogan," argued Viggo, his expression darkening. He pulled himself up with the Rider's help and took a moment to find his balance. He met Krogan's gaze as the Flyer regained his ground, his weapon a short distance away after Hiccup had knocked him down. "And we need to take care of him now."

Krogan chuckled quietly, cracking his knuckles as he stared dead eye with both the ex-Hunter and Rider. "You're not as easy to kill as I thought you'd be, I see," said Krogan, lifting his chin high. "What they say is true. What doesn't kill you _does_ make you stronger."

"Afraid it's gonna be a fair fight?" replied Hiccup, standing his ground, hands balled into fists.

Krogan laughed, shaking his head sideways before looking up again. "It's not gonna be as fair as you think," he said and with no warning, the Flyer charged.

* * *

 **I can't wait for Snoggletog so I can eat, sleep, repeat.**

 **That's all I have to say.**

 **See yah!**

 **Rain**


	35. Chapter 35

Krogan charged, no weapon in hand, nothing. But Hiccup knew that Krogan didn't need a blade or any other object with the purpose of killing to vanquish his enemies. Yet, despite knowing all that, Hiccup still faced the Flyer head-on.

He locked eye with the man and dashed forward. Krogan had his fists at the ready and Hiccup easily ducked under the first punch, ending up behind Krogan while the Flyer finished with his swing. Hiccup didn't waste any time, knowing all too well how fast Krogan was and kicked his prosthetic against the back of his knee. That sent the Flyer directly to his knees. Krogan groaned in frustration and pain while digging his hands in the mud. He didn't take long though. Almost immediately, he swung around and body-slammed the Rider to the ground, earning him a good few punches to the face before grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him against the ground.

"Still think you're tough?" asked Krogan, a smile printed on his face.

"I'm pretty confident," replied Hiccup through narrowed eyes, the fresh pain trying to shut his eyes tight. Hiccup didn't even think and slammed his forehead against Krogan's, sending the Flyer on a little trip to Dizzy Town.

The Rider scurried away, reclaiming high ground before having to face the madman once again.

"I think I have him pissed off now," mumbled Hiccup, a distance away from the Flyer while holding his ground. The moment Krogan swiped his hand off his face and turned to him, eyes flashing with rage, Hiccup could feel himself automatically grimace. "Yep. Well done, Hiccup."

Krogan came at him like a dragon on a prey, trying to grab him between his talons but Hiccup moved just fast enough to escape his grasp and buy himself enough time until he could figure out his next move. Every pounce from Krogan was skilled and Hiccup studied the man for any weaknesses. Everyone has a weakness. The trick was to find it and strike. Just like he learned during his Dragon Training all those years ago.

Just when the Flyer charged, Hiccup ducked the blow of his fist and held out his own, slamming it against the man's throat. Krogan collapsed to the ground, his hands tightened around his throat while he tried figuring out how to breathe properly again. His wheezes were sharp and Hiccup wondered how painful that could possibly be.

Hiccup took that moment to take a breather, resting his hands on his thighs while he eyed Krogan. His soaked auburn hair dangled before his emerald green eyes, the raindrops replacing his sweat. The Rider straightened up again and approached the Flyer who stood on all four, still trying to learn how to use his throat for what it appeared.

"It's all over, Krogan," said Hiccup, his hands loosened on each side of him. He looked down on the man, waiting for him to look up at him with eyes burning with hatred. But the man remained where he was, never lifting up his head.

He got a chuckle as a response instead, followed by, "Or is it?"

Hiccup's eyes flashed wide the moment Krogan's fist met his leg, slamming against the sick skin. Pain stroke him like lightning and Hiccup's entire body shut down like a dragon hit by Dragon Root. The Rider immediately collapsed next to Krogan with no resistance to slow his fall.

Krogan slowly rose back on his two feet and stretched his neck, running his hand on his throat once more. It brought no smile on his face but as he lowered his gaze once more, all he could do was that.

"Did you really think you could stand a chance? And without your beloved dragon?" mocked Krogan, grinning. He walked toward his ax that lay on the ground, the droplets splashing on the smooth surface of the blade.

Hiccup lifted his upper body off the ground with much effort, looking up as Krogan advanced, the mighty ax dragging behind him. The noise was threatening, sending shivers down his back. The Rider pushed himself up to a sitting position and tried moving his leg, only for the pain to hit again. It was too great to hold back the cry and Hiccup shut his eyes tight, hands balled into fists.

"Oh, don't worry," said Krogan with a not-so-soothing voice. "It'll all be over soon. For you and everyone else."

The Dragon Flyer swung the ax over his shoulder and Hiccup braced himself, at least hoping for a quick and painless death. But as he listened at the blade cut through rain, whistling sharply and meet its meal, Hiccup cracked an eye open to see Viggo standing between him and Krogan.

Hiccup's eyes widened and he gasped, realizing what had occurred. Krogan stared, shocked. Viggo held his gaze but held no fear as his blood stained the blade red. The ex-Hunter had jumped in just in time for Hiccup's fate to become his. The wide blade dug into his chest, thick blood dripping on the ground and mixing with the puddles of water.

"Viggo!" cried out Hiccup, breaking the sudden silence while reaching out a hand to the ex-Hunter. But all that resulted in was make him lose balance and instantly and fall on his stomach, covering half of his face with splatters of mud. His eyes watered as Hiccup watched Viggo fall to his knees, the ax still stuck in his chest.

Krogan hadn't moved since. He just kept staring at Viggo with a blank expression. But the Flyer eventually snapped out of it and his mad smile returned. His eyes shifted from Viggo to Hiccup and the Flyer moved on to the Rider, approaching him slowly. Hiccup immediately pushed himself off the ground again and tried to find his footing, but even with the adrenaline rushing through his veins, the pain of his leg just kept him bounded to the ground. He was a sitting duck against the Flyer and there was nothing he could do about it.

Krogan grabbed Hiccup by the throat and lifted him off the ground like he was the weight of a feather. His feet barely touching the ground, the Flyer dragged him to the edge of the cliff and held him above the empty. Hiccup couldn't manage to get any word or the slightest noise out. All he could do was claw the man's arm and kick with his metal leg. And even that was of no help to him.

"You've underestimated me, Dragon Rider," said Krogan, squeezing even harder, making Hiccup's eyes slowly become bloodshot. "All too many times. But I'll admit that I've done the same. Yet, in the end, only one triumphs. Wouldn't you agree?" Hiccup jerked, refusing to go out. Krogan sighed and held his arm out even further. "You should've just died when you had the chance. Because now, we gotta do it all over again." Hiccup could barely stay awake and slowly, his will the fight faded. His eyelids became too heavy for him to keep his eyes opened. Hiccup watched Krogan tilt his head to the side right as his vision blurred.

"Goodnight, Dragon Rider," said Krogan as Hiccup's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body went completely limp.

All noise suddenly seemed to fade out as Krogan stared at the Rider's unconscious face. The distant explosions and cries all disappeared as he realized he'd defeated both the Dragon Hunter and Dragon Rider. Or so he thought.

Still fixating Hiccup Haddock hanging from his grip, Krogan felt the sudden pain pierce through his middle like a stab in the back. Surely, the Flyer looked down and stared down at the wide blade of a sword belonging to none other than Viggo Grimborn. Krogan didn't move and watched as the dark red liquid slid down the steel. He didn't let go of Hiccup though and slowly turned around to meet Viggo's face, the ax still impaled in his body. But for Krogan, Viggo wanted to make sure the Dragon Flyer didn't stand a chance and pulled back on the sword, draining the life out of him.

Krogan's grip on Hiccup's throat loosened and the Rider collapsed on the edge of the cliff. Krogan took a few steps toward the ex-Hunter, pointing a finger down at him.

"You…" he hissed, blood dripping out of his mouth. But Krogan's time was up and he collapsed next to the unconscious Rider, soaking in a pool of his own blood.

Viggo finally allowed his exhaustion to take over him and he fell back down on his knees. He breathed loudly, the circles under his eyes greater than ever. He took a firm grip on the handle of the ax and tugged hard, removing the blade that had taken a large bite at him. Blood immediately flooded out of the large wound and Viggo took one last glance at Hiccup's unconscious face. The ex-Hunter only smiled slightly before getting swallowed by the unavoidable wave of blackness and finally hit the ground as well.

* * *

 **I hope you're all crying.**


	36. Chapter 36

**I KNOW! ITS BEEN MORE THAN A WHOLE MONTH! (In my defense... Writing was part of my plans for winter break but suddenly being under no pressure to do anything at all taunted me to do... nothing. So... Star Wars and cookies & milk instead.) **

**Last chapter! I know... Would you believe me if I told you my original plan for this story was meant to end around the part where the Riders rescue Hiccup on Dragon Hunter Island? That was a long time ago, wasn't it? (if you even remember that part) Took quite a turn, mmmhhh? Anyway, enjoy this bit, hope you like it ;)**

* * *

Everyone had seen it happen. There wasn't a single soul on that island that hadn't witnessed the ruthless battle between the three fearsome leaders. Flyers and Hunters had been smiling in triumph when their leader had taken down Viggo Grimborn and then cheered when the leader of the Dragon Riders was dangling over the object of his death. But the tide quickly turned when the ex-Hunter took down the Dragon Flyer and used his final breath to drain the life out of him. The crowd below had fallen dead silent when the blade slid out of the body. The fighting stopped and everyone stared. Hunters fighting on the ground quickly froze on the spot as they watched their leader fall. And just like a flock of Night Terrors, they fled the scenes.

"Retreat!" yelled a Dragon Hunter, raising his mace high above his head. "Head back to the ships!"

Like a massive wave, the enemy ran back to the shore, outnumbered and leaderless.

"That's right! Get out of here!" shouted Snotlout, soaring above the crowd. "Hit it, Hooky!" The Monstrous Nightmare growled low and fired down at the Hunters, urging them to pick up the pace. More shouts of pain exploded through the air before the Dragon Hunter colored ships set sails and hurried out at sea.

Berserkers cheered their victory along with the Outcasts in a very rough manner while the Wingmaidens and Defenders of the Wing gathered for greetings and compliments.

It all seemed like the nightmare was over, but Astrid knew sorrow would follow. Soldiers had been killed on both sides and their bodies covered the plaza. But worst of all, Hiccup had been engaged in close combat and based on the last she'd seen of him... let's just said the odds hadn't been quite equal.

"Hurry, Stormfly!" she urged her dragon and the Nadder beat her wings faster, quickly reaching the top of the cliff the battle had taken place. She landed and set eyes on the three bodies lying in a strange pattern and rapidly hopped off her dragon to reach her betrothed's side.

"Hiccup!" she called, collapsing next to her leader. She gently lifted his head off the ground and rested it on her thigh. She leaned down, carefully brushing the hair out of his forehead. "Hiccup? Can you hear me?"

Hiccup winced at the sound of her voice, furrowing his eyebrow and baring his teeth before blinking multiple times in an attempt to open up his eyes.

"Astrid?" he whispered, barely audible.

"Yeah?" she whispered back, eyes bright.

"Did… did we win?" he asked. He dug his eyes into hers, but he needn't an answer to his question. The sparks in her sky-blue irises said it all. He reached a hand out to press against her rosy cheek but Astrid caught it before he could touch her, squeezing it tight.

"Yeah. Yeah, we won." She smiled and Hiccup straightened up a little. Astrid leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his.

"Hiccup! You're alive!" called Tuffnut's unmistakable voice.

The couple broke apart at the shout and watched their friends hover above their heads, their dragons still a bit too pumped up after the recent events.

"I am," sighed Hiccup, loud enough for Astrid only to hear. He waved at them, watching them fly back down to the plaza, where the bloody battle took most space.

"It's finally over," said Astrid, bringing Hiccup's attention back down to her. But Hiccup didn't feel victorious at all. Well, a little. But something seemed lost. Like their triumph had come to a heavy cost…

"Where's Viggo?" asked Hiccup suddenly, twisting around. Astrid didn't have time to stop him. His eyes immediately set on Viggo's form lying motionless a couple of feet away from him. "Viggo!"

Hiccup didn't hesitate and half-walked half-stumbled to the ex-Hunter, collapsing next to him like a dragon with broken wings. Mud and blood covered the ground, staining his hands as Hiccup pulled himself off the ground and clutched at Viggo's armor. Knowing all too well that he was gone, he buried his face in the inside of his elbow resting on Viggo's chest. The rising and falling of the middle were terribly missing but Hiccup didn't want to move yet. He felt a gentle hand settle on his shoulder but didn't push away Astrid's attempt to comfort him.

"He's gone…" she spoke softly and Hiccup rose his head, looking down at Viggo's face. His expression didn't look like he'd been in pain though. There wasn't a twist of regret or of anger. He looked peaceful, almost as if his purpose of life had been filled in the last few moments of his life.

…

The village was very busy after the battle. The wounded were being tended to. Some had quite a few serious injuries, but nothing a Berserker or an Outcast couldn't handle. Help had been sent from Berk for cleaning up. Gothi had joined in on the medical team, not exactly the patients' favorite healer. The dead had been removed from the plaza's ground and the rain had washed up all the blood off the stones, leaving it looking like nothing had ever happened around here. In the distance, the enemy ships were still in view, slowly fading away where the ocean met the sky. The Wingmaidens, as well as the Defenders of the Wing, looked after the dragons that'd been involved in the battle, from Singetails to Gronckle Shattermaster.

Ships were selected for the funeral. Bodies were covered with a white drape, hiding the wounds the soldiers had died from. Darkness crept too early on the island. Hiccup wasn't ready to say goodbye. All of this. All this war, it hadn't been fair. And Viggo was the one who'd paid the price for them all... But as Hiccup stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ships get sent, he knew the unavoidable was coming.

He clenched his fists to his side, the cold breeze of the night ruffling his hair. He listened as footsteps came closer and tilted his head to the side to see Astrid joining him, bow and arrow at hand.

"How'd you find me?" he asked in a low tone, looking down at the different tribes gathered by the docks for the funeral.

"I knew you'd be off in the distance, far away from the crowd," replied Astrid making Hiccup turn his head slightly to the side.

"You know me too well," commented Hiccup as he returned his eyes on the ships.

"I do. And I also know you would never forgive yourself if you didn't take part in Viggo's funeral."

Hiccup looked down to see her offering the bow and arrow. He stared at it for what felt like forever but finally grabbed the instruments. He felt heavy and exhausted. But Astrid was right. Despite that Viggo started out as his greatest enemy, the very reason he was fighting this war, he'd become an ally and even a friend. And Hiccup would always remember him as just that and even more so. He sensed Astrid back away to give him the space he needed. The crowd below gradually lit up from the darkness, hundreds of arrowheads lighting up like fireflies in the meadow.

Torches burnt bright all around the village's edges and Hiccup reached to light his tip, examining as the flames licked it gracefully. He breathed in, shutting his eyes. Mixed feeling battled inside of him as if the end of one war had triggered another. The chant reached his ears and Hiccup let the words sink in. Like a song reaching deep inside, he felt the emotions rise to the surface.

"There do I see my father, my mother, and my brothers and my sisters.

"They bid me take my place among them in the Halls of Valhalla…"

Hiccup exhaled and stretched his arm, pulling the arrow back. Images flashed before his eyes. Memories of when he first arrived at Dragon's Edge. All those emotions he'd lived when he'd first faced Viggo. All the hatred that had built up inside of him. He was confused then. And he's still confused now. How can one start as your greatest enemy and suddenly become your closest ally? A figure you'd look at as if you were staring into a mirror? Inflict so much harm on others and end up sacrificing everything to save your worthiest opponent's life... Hiccup didn't understand it. He didn't even know if he'd been ready to do the same for him. And for that... He opened his eyes, allowing a tear to stream down the side of his face and said,

"Where the brave shall live forever."

The world slowed down and he released the arrow, sending it spiraling through the air and down on the ships among all the other flaming arrows. The sails caught aflame quickly and the ocean lit up, its bright orange light reflecting on Hiccup's face despite the distance.

"You know…" he started, hinting Astrid to come closer. "He knew he wasn't gonna make it. He knew it all along…"

He felt her hand in his hair, where she'd usually braid his hair. The cold touch of her skin was comforting in a way he couldn't quite explain. All he knew is that he appreciated it.

"Viggo wasn't always a good man," she said, turning her gaze on the flaming ships ahead, the smoke barely visible against the starry night sky. "But deep down, he always had a good heart. And you only could see that when the rest of us couldn't. His will to sacrifice all for the great of others proved his worth. Don't let your grief blind you, Hiccup."

Hiccup pulled his smile to the corners of his mouth for a split second before blinking and looking down at the ground once more. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Astrid didn't resist and rested her head against his shoulder.

…

Krogan's form lied motionless in a sad boat, facing up at the dark night sky, the blazing flames of the funeral ships bouncing off the walls of the rocky cliff of the island's foundations that slightly curved outward.

Heather and Snotlout stood above him silently, staring down.

"Should we say something?" asked Snotlout, holding the stained white drape in his hands.

"Yeah," replied Heather, her arms crossed over her chest. "Enjoy your eternity in Niflheim, loser."

Snotlout snickered before dropping the drape over the corpse and setting it adrift from the short, shadowed beach they'd chosen to dispose of the body of the worst person to ever walk the Earth.

"Are you guys done down there?" called out Astrid from top of the cliff.

"Comin'!" responded Heather, cupping her mouth. "Hurry up, Snotlout."

Snotlout pushed it off and ran after her, making their way back up to attend the actual funeral. Not Krogan's.

Astrid watched them join the crowd from a distance away and looked up to Hiccup still staring at the blazing flame with intensity.

"Well, it looks like it's finally over. The dragons are safe. We can rest now," she said. Her tone was convincing and the confidence in her words strong but Hiccup knew otherwise.

"Well, I'm gonna have to disagree with you there," he replied, making Astrid stare in surprise.

"What does that mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as he moved forward, crossing his arms over his chest.

"This might just be the beginning, Astrid," he said, a sad tone to his voice as if he was speaking a harsh truth. Which he was. "There'll always be someone else seeking to rid the world of dragons. Always. I see that now."

"And what makes you so sure?" asked Astrid, watching him as he slowly turned around to face her, the bright orange lighting up half of his face, plunging the other half in darkness. It gave him a grim look, one of a fearless leader and Astrid knew not to argue when he wore this mask.

Hiccup didn't answer. It couldn't be put into words anyway. He just knew. Astrid understood him. And she trusted him as well as his judgment.

"Then we'll be ready," she simply said before turning her head back to face the blazing ships, their heavy smoke reaching up to the sky, guiding the brave souls to the Halls of Valhalla where they belonged.

 _The End._

* * *

 **R.I.P Viggo. He was like Iron Man to me.**

 **Congratulations if you've made it this far into this fan-fic. I apologize again for all the delays. I think next time I'll just write the whole thing and publish a chapter every week. That actually sounds like a pretty good plan.**

 **Alright, see yah!**

 **Rain**


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